Timing is Everything
by beautifulpurpleflame
Summary: After disbanding for five years and establishing their own lives the team comes back together for a year long reunion. Some of them have changed, some of them have stayed the same, and for two teammates it seems as though time has finally decided they're ready for their hearts to sync. BBxRae
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sky was seven shades of orange, rose, and lavender while the clouds were an illuminating lemon. The wind had a noticeably sweet scent to it and was warm, even coming off of the bay. A man stood before the infamous tower, arms crossed and eyes on the horizon. To the east he heard the familiar hum of a technologically advanced aircraft filling the air. He turned and watched the T-Ship descend through the clouds, head straight at the tower, then slow and crawl into the hanger within. Nightwing made his way inside to meet his friend.

He entered the garage and just saw the robotic man climbing out of the cockpit. "Should've expected you to arrive first."

"Why's that? My flawless internal clock?" Cyborg laughed. "I see you're still in uniform 24/7. Do you even own a pair of jeans?"

"Do you?" the other man shot back with a smirk.

Cyborg laughed at that. "Only a few holographic ones. But when you've got a body as pristine as mine you don't need to hide yourself behind cheap fabric." This was true as he'd redesigned much of his parts and now looked far less clunky. It had been a much needed upgrade and a great improvement both practically and visually.

"Cheap fabric? Guess I'll have Bruce send you the bill next time I get an order of suits in," Nightwing chuckled. He might not have had any superpowers but that did not mean his suit was any less a work of genius. Black, blue, and destruction proof.

"No thanks, I've got enough bills to pay," Cyborg smirked. "How're you doing, Dick?"

"Fine," said Nightwing, shaking his hand. "Glad to see you here. Are you sure Steel City will be alright?"

"Yeah they'll be fine without me for a year," said Cyborg coolly. "Though they're not one bit happy. I did leave Karen in charge, after all."

"Those poor souls," Nightwing chuckled. "How's Sarah taking it?"

"I told her she could come but she's too settled in there," Cyborg sighed. He and Sarah had been dating for years and she'd made the move to Steel City with him when he took over the Titans East. "She's gonna visit whenever she can. So when's everyone else getting here?"

"Any time now," Nightwing shrugged. "We said 6 and it's now…6:13. So they should be here any second."

"How long's it been since you've seen Kori?" asked Cyborg.

"Three months," Nightwing sighed.

Cyborg whistled. "You must be dying. Is this the longest you've been apart?"

"No but it's pretty close to it," said Nightwing, uncomfortably shifting. He was obviously very anxious to see his beloved wife but didn't want his friend to know just how excited he was.

The gentle purr of an engine caught their ears and they all turned to the garage entrance at the back, where there was a tunnel that went under the bay and led out to the city. It grew louder and soon a light could clearly be seen. Judging by the sound of the motor and the single headlight there was clearly a motorcycle approaching them. It arrived and headed straight for them, turning and screeching to a stop a few feet before the duo. The rider killed the engine, dismounted, and removed his helmet.

"Hey dudes," Beast Boy grinned and ran a hand through his flattened hair to muss it up.

"Where did you get this?!" Cyborg drooled and began doing laps around the chopper, trying to take in every beautiful detail.

"You like it?" asked the changeling, pleased.

"Like it? I want it!" Cyborg laughed and scanned it with his cybernetic eye.

"So you finally got a pair of wheels," Nightwing smiled and looked over the bike as well. He did appreciate a good motorcycle. "And, I can't believe I'm saying this, you don't look ridiculous on it."

"I know, right?" Beast Boy laughed and shook his hand. "So what's it been, eighteen months?"

"Roughly," said Nightwing, thinking.

"Did you miss me?" Beast Boy asked as he slipped off his pleather jacket and tossed it onto the bike, leaving him in a tee and jeans. It appeared he'd certainly given up living in his uniform at all times.

"To an extent," said Nightwing. "The Tower's seemed less…green without you here."

"Hardy har, haven't heard that before," the shape shifter rolled his eyes.

An encroaching shriek filled the air and they looked at each other oddly. They turned just in time as Starfire burst through the open hanger door and launched herself right into Nightwing, knocking him off his feet and sending the two of them clear across the garage. Once they came to a stop she began kissing him enthusiastically, which he made no move to stop. She only gave her husband a moment to breathe when she cried, "Oh, Dick, I have missed you so very much."

"I missed you, too," he smiled and kissed her again.

"Jeez, wish I could find someone to give me a greeting like that," said Beast Boy.

"My friends! I am so happy to see you!" she squealed, releasing her man and going to give her two friends strong hugs.

"Ah, Kori, bones!" Beast Boy choked.

"Circuits! Circuits!" Cyborg yelled as his body began to creak and crack.

She released them but didn't drop her wide smile. "You are both looking wonderful. Victor, I have not seen you since you have upgraded your body. I am very impressed. It suits you most efficiently."

"Why thank you," Cyborg beamed proudly.

"And, Garfield, you are looking quite handsome as well," she said kindly.

"Come on, don't state the obvious," Beast Boy smirked.

"And you're looking as modelesque as ever," said Cyborg, which was true enough.

"Surely I do not look like a model," Starfire said modestly. Though she wore a simple blouse and skirt her natural beauty and glowing presence made her look ready for the runway. "I have not had a good night of sleep in two days. I have been far too excited about coming home to all of my friends and my beloved husband." And with that she wrapped her arms around him possessively.

"Well I guess we should head inside," said Nightwing.

"What about Raven?" asked Cyborg.

"She's coming, right?" asked Beast Boy.

"I have no idea," Nightwing shrugged. "I haven't been able to get in contact with her."

"Man, it's like she just dropped off the face of the Earth," said Cyborg.

"But we all promised to reunite in five years' time," said Starfire. "She would not break a promise, correct?"

"Correct," said a voice within the shadows. Unbeknownst to the others, Raven had been in the hanger from the beginning, watching and listening as her friends greeted each other. And when she came forth they jumped a good foot each of them. "Hello."

"There she is!" Cyborg cheered.

"Raven!" Starfire exclaimed and went to pounce on her. She easily avoided her, melting into the shadows and reappearing besides Cyborg. "It appears you still do not like the hugs."

"No, not really," she said plainly. "Nice to see you all again."

"Been a long time," Nightwing smiled.

"Where the hell have you been, young lady?" Cyborg exclaimed, his excitement at her appearance turning into aggravation. "I haven't heard from you since we left five years ago!"

"It wasn't personal, I cut off contact with everyone," she said. "It was instrumental in achieving inner peace."

"And were you successful?" asked Nightwing.

"Mostly," she replied. "It would take a lot to elicit a negative emotion out of me now. And, no, that's not an invitation to try." She eyed the changeling to give him a warning glare.

"Why're you looking at me?" he asked, already smiling guiltily of something he had yet to commit. "I'm not gonna tease you anymore. But I would like to know what's going on with your clothes. What the hell're you wearing?"

She raised her eyebrow and looked down at her attire. She suddenly remembered that her friends hadn't seen her in what was now her usual outfit. She stood before them draped in white robes that indicated she had been very far away, residing somewhere in or near the Asian continent. She cursed her oversight, since she knew Cyborg would get right to work trying to figure out where she'd been living by her attire, but would not let it affect her. She let the negativity she was feeling release through her pores and said, "I don't see what's so funny about my attire. This is functional, traditional, and practical for where I was residing."

"And where was that?" asked Cyborg, pushing for more information on her whereabouts, jotting all of this down in his memory banks.

"None of your business," she said simply.

"Well I think you look great," Nightwing smiled. "I don't know if I've ever seen you looking so refreshed. Wherever you were must've been good for you. And I like you're hair, I'm glad you grew it out."

"I can't say the same for you," she said, looking at her former leader's long locks. "Isn't it hard to fight crime having to swish your hair out of your eyes?"

That caused Cyborg and Beast Boy to snort and Nightwing to frown a little. "It doesn't bother me…often."

"I enjoy his hair," said Starfire, running her fingers through it. "On my planet long hair on a male is quite alluring."

"That settles it, the hair stays," said Nightwing, quite pleased as his wife continued to play with his hair. She smiled and kissed him strongly, something he eagerly returned.

"Alright let's go air out our rooms and give the lovebirds some privacy," said Cyborg, ushering the other two towards the door.

"No argument here," Raven said dryly and walked on ahead.

"Aw, someone still get uncomfortable around kissy noises?" Beast Boy teased.

"You'd get uncomfortable if you could feel other people's emotions," Raven replied plainly. "Especially when they become aroused."

"Ooh, that means you know whenever two people are getting it on?" Beast Boy snorted.

"Two people…one person…alone in his bedroom," she said with a slight smirk and walked a little faster.

He almost asked what she meant but luckily his brain moved a little quicker than his mouth, for once, and instead he broke out in a blush. "Wish I'd known that a little sooner."

"Yes, that certainly would've been a fun conversation," said Raven.

"Ah, it's good to be back here," Cyborg grinned contently.

It had been five years since the team had all been together. Each had felt growing pains and made the collective decision to part ways for a bit and. Nightwing stayed behind in Jump City and took sole responsibility for it, which kept him quite busy. Starfire travelled the world every few weeks for a couple weeks at a time doing her best to strengthen alien relations with different nations and helping whatever affiliates were nearby. Cyborg made the move to Steel City and was now the head of the team located there. Beast Boy decided to team jump around the planet and go wherever he was needed for whatever mission he was wanted for. Raven was the only one to give up crime fighting all together and focused on achieving peace in her being by studying and learning from the greatest leaders in meditation around the world. For those five years they all focused on their own careers and lives, though they did manage visit each other every once in a while. Well all but Raven, or course. But now they were getting back together for old time's sake, as they'd planned when they first went their separate ways.

It took a while for Nightwing and Starfire to finish up their reunion in the hanger but once they'd come to their senses they joined the others in getting their closed up rooms ready for occupants once more. The windows were opened and everything was dusted off. It had been quite some time since the Tower had housed more than just the married couple so Cyborg went about doing diagnostic checks on the tower and updating where it was needed. Nightwing went out to get pizza for dinner, since it was already getting late and he knew they'd all missed their local cuisine, and Starfire happily went with him seeing as she didn't want to be parted from him for another moment. Raven cleaned her room up rather quickly then went about gathering everyone's bedding to wash and return them so they could sleep in nice clean beds. Beast Boy spent most of his time in his room trying to find the source of a strong sour smell that made his nose burn and his stomach flip. It turned out to be a forgotten carton of curdled ice cream.

The couple returned with enough pizza to feed two baseball teams and word soon got out. They all met in the common room and sat around the table for the first time in years. It was both nostalgic and delicious.

"I am so happy that we are all together once more," Starfire smiled happily. "Truthfully I feared that we would never sit and enjoy the pizza with one another again."

"Well let's enjoy it cuz who knows when it'll happen again," said Cyborg, who had taken an entire pizza for himself.

"Yeah with the way things are going I doubt we'll all have a chance to get together like this often," Beast Boy agreed.

"Oh please do not say such things!" Starfire cried. "I wish for us always to gather and do the fighting of crime. Perhaps we should set a date again like when we first parted ways?"

"We can try but who knows if we'll all be able to get away from our responsibilities again," said Nightwing. "I know Vic's got a busy schedule running the Steel City team, Raven's trying to avoid confrontations, and Gar's always off on some crazy mission almost getting himself killed."

"Dude, that is so not true," Beast Boy objected. "In the last five years I've only been on two missions where I almost died. That's two out of, I don't know, two hundred? And those 'crazy missions' are missions you suggested I take."

"Speaking of which, how was Hong Kong?" asked Nightwing.

"Ridiculous," Beast Boy groaned. "Vic, you need to make me a translator thing to stick in my ear so that I can understand any language. The only person on the team who said they could speak English couldn't understand anything I said. I almost lost because of it."

"I told you to let someone else handle it," said Nightwing.

"You also said that half the team spoke perfect English," Beast Boy shot back. "And it's not like the mission itself was hard or anything. It was just the language barrier. Honestly, I should've told them to stay home and let me take care of the guy. I would've gotten it done five times faster."

"I'm sure you would have," Nightwing smiled. "And I'm still waiting on that report."

"Yeah yeah, you'll get your damn report," Beast Boy brushed him off. "Just quit setting me up with crazy missions that put me on a crash course towards death."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think Dick was trying to get rid of you," Cyborg laughed.

"Ha!" Nightwing snorted. "If I wanted to get rid of him he'd be long gone by now."

"Oh, you wanna go?" Beast Boy grinned, ready to pounce. "Cuz I'll take you on."

"Come on, don't you want to wait a few days before challenging me?" Nightwing smirked back. "Or do you intend on spending our first week back together in a cast?"

"You're the one who's gonna be in a cast, boy wonder," Beast Boy's eyes narrowed and his shoulders rocked with anticipation like a jaguar on the prowl.

"I'll play ref!" Cyborg said excitedly and jumped up.

"And the room is officially filled with too much testosterone," said Raven. She then sighed and added flatly, "Just like old times."

"Raven, would you like to do the rough housing so as to re-forge our bond?" asked Starfire with a smile. "Shall I begin with the ceremonial talk of smack?"

"And that would be my cue to leave," said the empath standing up and heading for the doors, avoiding the scuffle migrating around the common room. "I'll be around with everyone's bed sheets in a little bit. If you're not in your room I'm leaving them outside of your door." But no one heard her since their yells and cheers easily drowned out her voice. She found it rather immature but couldn't help smiling at the scene. "Yup, home sweet home."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The empath went down to the laundry room and switched everything over into the dryer. Admittedly, it had been a long time since she'd done laundry in an electrical machine and she had hoped she remembered how to work the appliances. But it all came back to her pretty quickly and she had no need to seek out aid. It sure was different than washing ones clothes in a tub or river. But she had enjoyed hand washing her clothes in that manner; it gave her time to think. It was rather hard to do that here in the tower with the machines humming and spinning.

She had the linens finished just as everyone was getting tired and ready to turn in. She went to Nightwing and Starfire's room and found the alien already there and in her nighty, a special piece of lingerie she'd bought to show her husband how much she'd missed him. The empath was not happy to see her friend in such a state of undress.

"I have the linens for your bed," she said, handing two folded sheets and some pillowcases to the alien.

"Oh thank you so much for cleaning our bedding," Starfire smiled. "Please, enter and we shall have some of the girl talk of which I have missed sharing with you."

"Thanks but I'm not in the mood toni-" was as far as she got before the Tamaranean princess grabbed her arm and yanked her inside.

"Nonsense, we have much to discuss," Starfire giggled.

"But you look like you're about to seduce your husband," Raven pointed out.

"Oh I am. Do you like my attire?" Starfire asked, twirling around.

"Uh, yeah, it's great," Raven said uncomfortably. "And definitely a good reason for me not to be here right now."

"But I have a very important matter to discuss with you!" Starfire gushed. She took her friend's hands and said, "Dick and I are trying to have a bumgorf."

"Oh," said Raven, slightly confused. Then she remembered what 'bumgorf' translated to. "Oh! Well that's… interesting news."

"Because you are my best female friend I wanted you to know first of our endeavor," said Starfire, smiling. "We have not told anyone but I knew that I must have your support. You will not tell anyone else, correct?"

"Not if you don't want me to," said Raven, not that she would want to tell anyone this sort of private business anyway. She couldn't believe Starfire was even telling her. "So… I'm not sure what to do in this situation. Um… good luck?"

"Thank you, we are in great need of it," said Starfire, growing a little downcast.

"Is something wrong?" Raven asked, seeing the sadness in her friend's eyes.

"Well… we have been trying to become pregnant for five months now," Starfire explained. "And thus far we have not had any success. Dick has proposed that we see a fertility physician but I am apprehensive. Please, what are your feelings on the matter?"

"I think it'd be silly not to go," Raven replied frankly. "I mean, if you really want to have a baby then making sure you're healthy should be at the top of the list."

"Yes, I think you are correct," Starfire sighed. "Thank you so very much for your advice."

"It wasn't really advice," Raven tried to clarify.

"You are such a good friend," Starfire smiled and hugged her. "I am so happy to have you home. But now I must ask you to leave while I try to become impregnated yet again."

"You don't need to say anymore," said Raven, who exited as quickly as she could.

She dropped her own sheets in her room, avoided eye contact with Nightwing as he passed her and bid her goodnight, and proceeded towards Beast Boy's room. On the way she was once again sidetracked when Cyborg slid his door aside and smirked at her.

"So… Sri Lanka, huh?"

She sighed and stopped. "It seems you've deduced where I've been residing."

"Yeah, wasn't all that hard," he shrugged, though he was obviously proud of himself. "How come you didn't just tell us?"

"I told you, I wanted to be alone."

"We would've left you alone. It just would've been nice to know where you were. I haven't gotten a good night's update and charge since you left."

"You obviously don't believe I can take care of myself, then."

"No, no! I just… well all sorts of shit happens in this world. I just wanted to know your whereabouts, that's all. We all kept in contact over the years just to catch up and make sure we were all doing alright. It would've been nice to hear a word from you once in a while."

She couldn't help but be touched by his obvious care and concern. "Well I'm sorry I worried you. If it'll make you feel better I'll take my communicator with me this time when I leave. Then you can track me and know exactly where I am."

He instantly brightened up. "That's my girl. I knew you'd come to your senses."

"I'm not coming to my senses, I'm doing you a favor," she clarified. "Had I known you were such a worry wart I'd have called."

"Hey!" he exclaimed, knowing when he was being teased. "I'm _not_ a worry wart."

"Oh? And how many times have you called your dear Sarah since arriving?" she asked.

He blushed deeply at that remark. "That's completely different!"

"Goodnight, Victor," she said with a slight smile and continued on her way.

"It's different! And I'm not a worry wart!" he called after her, puffing like a mother hen in denial.

Her encounter with Cyborg brightened her mood so she felt quite ready to deliver the changeling's sheets. She had promised herself that she would never let him get under her skin again and she intended to keep it. She reached his room, knocked, and announced, "Linens."

He opened the door with a smile. "Awesome, I was about to pass out on the mattress."

"Well now you can sleep in clean sheets for once," she said, handing them over. She hadn't even recognized him when he'd pulled up on his motorcycle earlier that day. Until he'd taken his helmet off she hadn't a clue as to who he was. But the green had given him away, though that didn't mean she wasn't still shocked by how he looked now. His stringy teen physique appeared to be only a memory by the way he was filling out his jeans and shirt. Even his face had filled out. Starfire hadn't been lying when she'd called him handsome. But there was something else different about him as well. He had an air of maturity that only a man who had seen the highest and lowest moments of life could carry. His eyes were filled with history and though they still sparkled there was something deeper, something far more wise.

"You have no idea how glad I am to be in my own bed," he said. "I've been sleeping on cots and the ground and up in trees for the last five years. I mean, yeah, once in a while I'd get a decent bed but for the most part it sucked. I'm guessing you had the same experience since you were out in the middle of nowhere."

"I didn't mind my arrangements," she said simply. "Goodnight." She turned to leave but suddenly a lime green sheet went over her head and she was trapped within.

"Nope, you're not getting away that easily," he snickered. He pulled the sheet towards him and back into his room. "Well well, look what I've caught. The elusive Raven. One of the most exotic creatures in all of nature. But one should not be fooled by her enticing appearance. She's more likely to bite you than kiss you. Rarely seen, she's known for her quiet disposition, wise words, brutal honesty, and lack of interest in anything fun." He knew this was a risky move but he also couldn't help himself. Something about her seemed less severe than she had been when they'd last met. He wasn't sure what it was; the ease with which she held herself, the gentleness around her eyes, the relaxation in her lips. Whatever it was he liked it and it made him want to tease her all the more.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"Practicing," he declared. "Think I'm gonna be a nature show host once I'm tired of being a superhero. What do you think?"

"I think you should let me out of here," she said matter-of-factly.

"Not just yet." He lifted part of the sheet and joined her, securing it snuggly around them. "Finally got you between the sheets, Rave. Bet you never thought that'd happen."

"No. And what do you mean 'finally'?" she asked with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Nothing," he shook his head, smiling. "Just missed you, is all. Did you miss me?"

"Not particularly."

"Come on, I know some little itty bitty part of you missed me."

"I wouldn't say I missed you. Though I had become accustomed to you. So I was certainly aware of the absence of your presence."

He smiled and said in a singsong voice, "You missed me."

She rolled her eyes. "Can I go now?"

"Just so you know, I was aware of the absence of your presence, too," he said, ignoring her question. "Thought of you whenever I saw someone reading or smelt incense burning."

"How sweet. Now take this off of me," she requested again, her voice remaining calm. Her eyes then caught sight of a long since healed scar on the left side of his jaw, a jaw no longer round but angled and prominent. It was clearly a scar for while his thick green hair, that was more akin to fur, gave him a slight 5 o'clock shadow the scar was smooth and clear of stubble. She noticed another atop his brow and a long one running down his neck. Without thinking she reached up and gently touched the altered skin of his jaw, concerned. "What on Earth did you get yourself into?"

Her fingers were soft but cold like porcelain. He became enthralled by the scent of frangipani and sandalwood, the incense she so often burned. He felt his skin prickle at her touch and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, something that completely surprised him. He quickly cleared his throat and said, "Oh that? Yeah, got a few nicks here and there. No big deal. You should see what I did to the other guys! At least I can still pull off the ruggedly handsome look with these badges of honor, right?"

She pulled her hand back and gave him a look of indifference, which he greeted with eyes full of soft amusement and his patented grin. "You know, if Dick is sending you out on missions that are too hard you have the right to refuse them."

"Oh come on, it's just a few scrapes," he brushed her off. "I can handle anything he throws me into, don't you worry. I may look a little bit the worse for wear but it just comes with the job. And they're not all from missions he's given me, they're from jobs I took on my own."

"Then you need some better judgment," she said. "You can't always save the day, you know."

"But I can always try," he shot back with a shrug and a grin.

She shook her head but couldn't help the small smile she felt creep onto her lips. "You're never going to change."

"Can't say the same for you, Miss New Wardrobe," he smirked. "Those robes aren't very flattering, just so you know."

"I wasn't trying to flatter my figure with them," she replied. "But it's nice to know you don't find me very comely in this attire. I may use them as my new uniform."

"Hey, whoa, don't do anything crazy now," he said quickly. "It'd be pretty hard to fight crime in that getup."

"I don't plan on doing much fighting," she said. "So I think I'll keep my outfit."

"Ugh, you're killing me here," he groaned dramatically. "Well at least I love the hair. I always thought you looked good with longer hair." He grabbed a bit with his hand and twirled it around his finger, smiling.

She shook her head, fighting off the urge to smile at his ridiculousness, and went to say something about the action but paused. She was suddenly terribly aware of how close they were between that sheet and it made her senses itch. The tent forced her to be immersed in his musk, the heat of his body, the feel of his breath. She felt the center of her being become rattled and that unnerved her.

In fact, in that moment they both became incredibly aware of something; the static energy that often caused them to bicker and clash had…altered. It was still there, undoubtedly, but there was something different about their chemistry now. Something… exhilarating. And it so startled them that both seemed to explode out of the sheet at the same time.

They stood staring at each other for an awkward moment before she grabbed the linen off the ground and tossed it at him. "So, uh, here are your sheets," she said quickly to break the silence. "And your pillowcases."

"Yup, thanks," he said retreating towards his bed with them.

"You know how to make your bed, right?" she asked, quickly regretting the question. He was a grown man, he hopefully knew how to put sheets on his own bed by now. But, then again, he had said he hadn't slept in a proper bed in a long time. No, it didn't matter. It still sounded condescending.

"Oh yeah, I always manage to figure it out," he said with a nervous grin as he shook out his fitted sheet and laid it on the mattress. He prayed he knew what he was doing. The last thing he needed was for her to see that he couldn't even make his bed; something a five year old could do. "It's just like slipping a shower cap on a huge, rectangular head." He cursed himself for that little gem. He tucked in one corner then ran to its opposing corner to tuck that one in as well only to discover he had the sheet the wrong way. "Shit, uh, one sec." He turned the blanket to get it the right way and blushed at his display of stupidity in front of her.

She could see him struggling and feel how anxious he was. She sighed and decided to put the awkward air aside. She walked over and grabbed a side of the sheet. "You get that side I'll get this one."

He watched her tuck in one side and, after getting over the shock that she was helping him, quickly followed her actions. "You don't have to. I would've figured it out eventually," he chuckled, his nerves relaxing.

"I know," she said and tucked in the other corner. She then grabbed the other sheet and tossed a side to him. "But it's always nice to have help, right?"

He looked at her with a slight hint of astonishment in his eyes then smiled. "Yeah it is." He spread the flat sheet out and watched how she tucked and smoothed, copying her movements. He'd never been very good at this part. "You know, I don't have any idea where you were or what you were doing but it definitely did you some good."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you seem… _nicer_ than you used to. Not that you were mean five years ago but your niceness level has gone through the roof. Is this a permanent thing or temporary or conditional or what?"

"You think I'm nicer? We've spent about four hours together."

"Yeah but I can tell. I mean, if you saw me struggling making my bed a few years ago you'd use your powers to make it for me then give me one of your patented looks."

"And what look would that be?"

He stared at her with a dead expression that hinted at disdain. "This look."

"Oh yeah, that look. I miss that look. I haven't had a reason to use it in the last few years."

"Well I don't miss it. And, personally, I hope it never makes a comeback."

"Well if it does I think we both know who'll be the cause," she said with a small smile. She tossed a pillowcase at him as well as a pillow before heading for the exit. "I think you can handle things from here."

"I don't know, pillowcases are complex pieces of furniture."

"Goodnight Garfield."

"'night Rave."

He closed his door quickly behind her and took a second to gather himself. He wasn't sure what had passed between them while under the sheet but it had certainly taken him by surprise. They'd never shared a moment quite like that before. He'd never been so overcome by her presence. Perhaps it was due to them being in such a small enclosed space? He really couldn't be sure. All he knew was that she wasn't the girl he'd parted ways from five years before.

She walked swiftly to her room and quickly locked herself inside once she'd arrived. She took a moment to breathe and center her mind. Leave it to the green changeling to cause her resolve to waver within hours of being home. But she couldn't really blame him. There was something else at work here. Something that she had no say in. But just because their chemistry had suddenly altered didn't mean she needed to give in to it. She composed herself and went about making her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When the changeling awoke he wasn't quite sure where he was for a moment. Granted he often didn't know where he was in the mornings due to the nature of his occupation, but this morning was a little more confusing than usual. He often dreamed about being in the Tower so it took him a good minute to realize this wasn't a dream and he was in his old room. The sun was just starting to rise, only a sliver was visible above the horizon, and he grumbled that he was up so early. He blamed it on the fact that his internal clock hadn't adjusted to the time change yet. That was one of the hardest parts about traveling around the world frequently; the jetlag.

The tower was quiet as he made his way to the common room. But he knew that didn't mean that everyone was still asleep. Nightwing was always up early so he was sure he'd run into him. But, oddly enough, it wasn't the team leader he stumbled upon. It was Raven. She was before one of the large windows looking over the bay deep in meditation. She was no longer in her white robes and appeared to be wearing some old clothes she'd kept in the tower. He smelt coffee brewing and a kettle waiting to be heated over in the kitchen. He knew that she didn't do coffee so that meant Nightwing must have been up as well. He made his way over to the large window she was centered in front of and took in the view. Night was slowly melting away into dawn and it was quite beautiful. He'd been around the world and seen many sunrises but he'd never enjoyed any as much as he was enjoying the one he was seeing right now. The water on the bay was calm and the city still seemed asleep.

He glanced over at his teammate and saw that she was completely focused. There was no tension in her body, only serenity. He couldn't believe how she made such a difficult practice look effortless. Five years of focusing on nothing but meditation certainly helped her technique. And, sitting in the morning light, he couldn't help but notice that she looked ethereal. He shook this thought out of his head and went to make himself some coffee. And by the time he'd made his cup and took his first sip she touched down and came out of her trance.

She looked into the kitchen and saw him leaning against the counter with his mug. He wore only pajama bottoms and this startled her for a moment. He was a rather furry man but, like his facial hair, it looked thick and soft. And she saw more scars and nicks from previous battles covering his body's grooves and muscles. But there was something else engraved in his skin: ink. Tribal looking tattoos representing different cultures, she assumed, were beautifully adorned about his body. She suddenly realized she was practically staring at him and quickly composed herself. "Good morning," she said and headed into the kitchen and turning on the burner under her kettle.

"Morning," he replied, holding his cup up slightly to emphasize the greeting. "Sleep well?"

"Very well," she replied, grabbing a cup to prepare it for her tea. "You?"

"Like a baby," he smiled. "Best night of sleep I've had in months." This was partly a lie. After the awkwardness that had passed between them he had a very hard time settling his nerves and falling asleep. But, once he had, he did sleep soundly; though not without some interesting dreams. "I see you decided to ditch the robes. Now I can actually see you. Did you lose weight?"

"Just muscle. And was that your attempt to flatter me?" she asked.

"Just trying to keep the conversation going," he shrugged. "If you wanna know, I've gained weight. Of course it's all muscle."

"Are you sure?" she smirked, looking his body up and down incredulously.

"Ooh, aren't you witty this morning," he chuckled.

"Speaking of mornings, why are you up this early?"

"My body's not used to JC time yet. Don't worry, I'll be sleeping in soon enough. This week's gonna be like a vacation for me." He put his cup down and began to look around the cupboards for something to eat. "So did you really not do any fighting at all since we left?"

"That's correct."

"I'm guessing you're gonna be rusty then," he chuckled. "Dick's not gonna be happy about that."

"I couldn't care less about what he thinks," she replied. "I came here to reconnect with my friends, not crime fight."

"Well that's what's gonna happen so you better do some practicing," he warned her. "Or are you trying to force me into being your hero? Cuz I'll bite the bullet and save you if you wanna be a damsel in distress."

"Drink your coffee. Your brain still needs to wake up," she said and used her powers to shove his mug into his face, forcing coffee down his throat.

While Beast Boy choked, the doors opened and Nightwing entered. He knew Raven was up but was surprised to see the changeling. "You come here on a sweet chopper and now you're up early? I'm starting to question your identity."

"Don't get used to it cuz once I get back into the groove of this time zone I'm gonna be sleeping 'til noon," Beast Boy assured him, still trying to cough up the coffee that had gone down his windpipe.

"How'd you sleep, Raven?" Nightwing asked.

"Fine," she replied, taking the kettle off of the stove and pouring the boiling water into a mug. "I won't bother asking you. I'm already aware of the answer."

"Why, do I look tired?" asked Nightwing.

"Not exactly," said Raven, stirring honey into her tea.

Beast Boy laughed. "Rae-Rae here is like Santa Claus. She knows when you're sleeping, she knows when you're awake, and she knows if you've been bad or good. And I'm guessing you were a really bad boy last night."

"And you're still incredibly immature," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. She didn't want everyone to know that she could sense and feel when they were doing…intimate things. "And don't call me Rae-Rae."

"Aw, why not? I think it's cute," he chuckled.

"I'm going to ignore you now," she stated. "Dick, I suggest you do the same."

"I was planning on it," said Nightwing, going to make himself a cup of coffee. "So are you two ready for some old school team work?"

"I am but she's not," Beast Boy pointed out. "She's just here to hang out, right Rave?"

"Thank you for blurting that out before I had a chance to say anything," she sighed.

"Is that true? Are you really not going on missions with us?" asked Nightwing, surprised.

"That's what she said," Beast Boy confirmed.

"I thought you were just taking a break from crime fighting," said Nightwing. "I had no idea you were giving it up for good."

"Yup, looks like it's gonna just be four of us out in the field," said Beast Boy.

"Oh no, I'll go but I just don't want to fight anyone," she clarified. "I never liked it anyway. The only reason I'll be interacting with anyone is if it's defensively or I'm trying to protect one of you. But that's it."

"Well that's better than nothing," said Nightwing. "Besides, I doubt we'll be summoned for anything bigger than a robbery. Just come with us, look terrifying, and I'm sure you'll make an impact."

"That I can do," said Raven, leaving the kitchen to sit at the table with her tea.

The doors opened and Cyborg stepped inside, his head down as he typed on a tablet. "Well I've got my week cut out for me. This place needs a major overhaul."

"This place is fine," Nightwing assured him. "And if you think I'm going to let you start ripping it apart you've got another thing coming."

"Hey this is my tower and I'll do with her as I wish," said Cyborg. "And I wouldn't have to be doing all of this if you took care of her."

"I do! I can't help it if you're standards are far too high," said Nightwing. "I do the best that I can and so far nothing's broke or shut down."

"I'm gonna have to link this place up with my computer on the east coast," Cyborg grumbled.

"That's up to you but you're just making more work for yourself," said Nightwing.

"No, you're making more work for me," said Cyborg, putting the tablet down.

"Well this is a great way to start the day," Raven said into her tea. "With a pointless argument."

"Shh, this is getting good," Beast Boy hushed her. "Hey Vic, did you see the sink in the bathroom? Definitely dripping."

"What?!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Come on, Dick, you want me to trust you with my tower and you can't even be bothered to fix a sink or at least let me know about it?"

"I'm not going to call you about a dripping sink," said Nightwing. "And I was getting around to it. I'm a little busy saving the city every goddamn day."

"Oh don't you use that excuse on me," Cyborg warned. "I work just as hard as you do and I'm able to keep up the maintenance on our tower."

"You work as hard as I do? I'm all alone out here most of the time!" said Nightwing. "You've got a team working with you."

"You of all people know that being a team leader ain't no picnic," said Cyborg. "So don't give me that shit."

"It's better than a movie, isn't it?" Beast Boy snickered to Raven.

"I can't see how watching two friends fight could be amusing," she replied.

"You're such a party pooper," he rolled his eyes.

The doors slid aside once more and in flew Starfire, as bright and beautiful as ever. "Good morning friends! Did everyone have a satisfactory night of sleeping?"

"I know I did," Nightwing smiled at her.

"I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow," Beast Boy fibbed. "Best night of sleep I've had in a year and a half."

"I'm recharged and ready to go," Cyborg smiled. "I can take anything the city wants to throw at me."

"You'll probably regret those words before the week's out," said Raven from the table.

"And how was your night of rest?" asked Starfire, flying over to the other female. "Were you happy to be in your bedroom again?"

"I slept fine so I suppose so," Raven said simply.

"Please, we must have a 'day of girls' today," said Starfire, sliding into the booth and knocking the other girl over with her strength. "I wish very much to do the catching up. We shall go to the spa and enjoy its many luxuries."

Raven rubbed her hip, it was sure to be bruised. "Well as strange as it may seem I'd actually enjoy a spa day. It's been a long time since I've been pampered."

Starfire gasped and grabbed her friend's hands joyfully. "Then a day of pampering it is!"

"I wanna go!" Beast Boy jumped in, sliding in on the other side to bookend Raven. "My toenails are starting to tear holes in my blankets."

"Then why don't you clip them?" Raven asked.

"Garfield this is to be a girl's day," said Starfire. "You cannot accompany us because you are not a girl."

"Okay… what if I go on my own and you two just happen to be there at the same time?" he asked after some thought.

Starfire pondered this then smiled. "I believe you have found the hole of loop."

"Yes! Spa day for the beast man," he cheered.

"Dick, Victor, will you accompany Garfield so that we may all enjoy the spa?" asked Starfire.

"I've got too much work to do here to enjoy a spa day," said Cyborg. "Besides, not much they can do for me. When I have a spa day I go to a mechanic's shop."

"And I don't like having people I don't know rubbing and touching me," said Nightwing uncomfortably. "I'll stay here and make sure Vic doesn't go overboard with his maintenance work."

"Performing necessary updates and upgrades is not going overboard," said Cyborg.

"I agree, which is why I'm going to stop you from performing unnecessary updates and upgrades," said Nightwing.

"You're gonna stop me? I'd like to see you try, bird boy," said Cyborg.

"Not again," Raven groaned. "Could one of you please move so I can get out of here before they start arguing again?"

"No way, the second act's about to begin," Beast Boy smirked.

"Act? Are Dick and Victor performing a play?" asked Starfire, turning to look at her boyfriend and her friend begin quarrelling again.

Raven sighed and levitated up and over the table. "I'll be in my room. Come get me when it's spa time."

"You got it," Beast Boy winked.

"Not you," she rolled her eyes and headed out.

"Good to know nothing's changed between you two," Nightwing smirked.

Beast Boy laughed, though it was more as a way to cover up that he knew for a fact that things had changed between he and Raven, and said, "Dude, has anything changed between any of us?"

"Not since those two finally shacked up," said Cyborg, indicating to Nightwing and Starfire.

"Well let's hope we all continue to stay close," said Nightwing.

"Yes, we must make sure to keep our bonds strong," said Starfire. "I will not allow us to grow apart. If we all stay together then Dick with not be alone, Victor will not be confined to the tower, Raven will not lock herself away, and Garfield will not lose his hair!"

"I don't think us staying together is gonna help Gar's hairline," Cyborg snickered.

"Hey shut up! It's not gonna happen!" Beast Boy said firmly.

"I don't know, Gar, I think it's already starting to recede," Nightwing smirked.

"It is not!" Beast Boy fumed and grabbed at his hair. "It's as thick and present as ever!" That only caused his two friends to burst out laughing.

"Do not be ashamed," said Starfire sweetly. "On my planet the balding of a male is a sign of great virility."

"I'm not going bald!" Beast Boy insisted. "It doesn't even make sense! Animals don't have male pattern baldness so why would I? I bet I lost my hair cuz of stress or something. Well I'm gonna live as stress free as possible and you'll see that I'll have just as awesome a head of hair when I'm fifty as I do now. You just watch!"

"You're just scared you won't be able to pull off the bald look as well as I do," said Cyborg, rubbing his smooth head.

"We're not talking about this anymore," Beast Boy said firmly, quite cross. "Come on, Kori, let's go to the spa."

"But I am going with Raven not you," she pointed out. "You are to meet us there in a serendipitous manner."

"Fine then I'll get a head start and you can 'accidentally' meet me there," he huffed and went to make his exit.

"I shall stumble upon you in a few minutes!" Starfire called after him with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Steel screeched against gravel as a city bus slid across the pavement and crashed into an insurance agency, sending glass and flames all about. Civilians who hadn't yet fled the premises ran for their lives and did their best to avoid getting harmed by flying debris. The Titans hadn't expected such a battle their first week back together but it seemed that once word had gotten out that the team was back together again numerous villains were ready to challenge them once more. And it seemed Cinderblock had beaten all others to the punch.

"This is ridiculous," Nightwing cursed as he ducked out of the way of electrical wire being used as a whip by the fiend. "I haven't heard a word from this bastard for the last two years."

"Guess he's been waiting for a special occasion to break out of prison," said Cyborg, grabbing a streetlamp and plucking it out of the sidewalk like a weed in the garden. He reared back and swung with all of his might, smacking the villain in the back and causing him to stumble.

"Almost a homerun, but let's see if I can smack it out of the park," Beast Boy grinned and turned into a large stegosaurus with a particularly harsh tail. He swung the barbed appendage and hit the creature with such veracity that he staggered and fell flat on his stone face. The changeling turned back to his human form and cheered. "And the Beast Man knocks it out of the stadium and into the stratosphere!"

"How can you think that was better than my hit?" asked Cyborg.

"Cuz I managed to knock him down," Beast Boy gloated.

"Then leave it to me to give the blow of finishing," said Starfire, swooping down and showering the walking block with starbolts.

Cinderblock roared with anger. He forced himself back to his feet and picked up a minivan, hurling it at Starfire who easily flew out of the way. Raven was quick to grab the vehicle with her powers and set it down before it could cause any damage. She was keeping to her word that she was only going to protect her friends in battle and would not attack anyone or anything. Just being around such chaos and destruction unsettled her and she wished she could escape to a more peaceful environment.

"You're all seasoned superheroes, can we please wrap this up?" she asked.

"What, do you think we're enjoying this?" asked Nightwing.

"Deep down, yes," she replied. "I think you all are."

None wanted to admit it but they were, in fact, enjoying themselves. No, they didn't like damaging the city or putting people's lives in danger, but they did enjoy working together. They had the sort of team chemistry others could only dream of.

"Alright you heard the lady," said Beast Boy, cracking his knuckles then his neck. "Time to finish this and get back to lounging around the tower." He turned into a mouse and ran towards the monster. He got between its legs and changed into a T-Rex, causing Cinderblock to lose balance and fall back. He smacked the villain in the head with his tail for good measure then changed back. "Dick, Vic, go!"

Nightwing and Cyborg proceeded to tie their adversary down Gulliver's Travels style, anchoring cables on either side of him to keep him down flat. He tried to get up but Beast Boy, in elephant form, kept two legs on his shoulders while Starfire shot starbolts at his head to keep him stunned. Once the cables were secured the fight was over, with Cinderblock groaning angrily in defeat.

"Well that was easier than it used to be," Nightwing smirked victoriously.

"You should have done that when the fight began," said Raven in a scolding manner. "There wouldn't be nearly as much damage."

"Relax, we were just getting back in the groove," Beast Boy smiled.

"And seeing as we are very much back in our groove, shall I suggest some celebratory pizza?" Cyborg asked.

"Sounds good to me," said Nightwing, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Let me talk to the chief about getting a cleanup crew in here and I'll join you guys at the shop. My treat."

"That goes without saying," Cyborg laughed.

"Dick, please do not take too long," said Starfire, growing a little antsy. "We have an appointment to keep, remember?"

"Oh right. Um… shit," said Nightwing, looking around. "Vic, could you talk to the chief for me? Kori and I've got someplace we need to be."

"How come I can't do it?" Beast Boy frowned.

"Cuz I know what it's like to be a team leader," said Cyborg, nudging his best friend with a smirk. "Maybe if you'd stuck around and headed a team instead of doing freelance hero work you'd get offered the boring paperwork."

"Whatever," Beast Boy pouted. He knew that organizing the cleanup work was boring but that didn't mean he didn't want the position at least offered to him.

"Well I'm going to head back to the tower and clean up," said Nightwing.

"Wonderful, I shall accompany you," said Starfire who scooped her husband up and took off towards their home so quickly she left an imprint in the ground.

"Jeez, she really wants to go see that baby doctor," said Beast Boy. The other two Titans snapped their heads towards him with wide eyes. He saw this reaction and said, "What?"

Cyborg sliced across his throat with his hand, saying through his teeth, "Man, shut up!"

"Wait a second, how do you two know about their baby issues?" Raven asked, surprised.

"How do _you_ know about it?" asked Cyborg, equally surprised. "Dick told us in secret, though you wouldn't know it from that big mouthed pile of snot."

"Kori told me in secret as well," said Raven.

"Why all the secrecy, though?" asked Beast Boy. "They're trying to have a baby, what's the big deal? They've been married for a few years now so it's about time."

"Because it's bad luck to talk about it or to reveal a pregnancy that's in its early stages," said Raven. "But I think they've been trying for so long that both needed to talk about it with someone."

"Well we'll have to tell them the cat's outa the bag," Cyborg sighed. "I hope they get good news from this doctor, though."

"Even if they don't there are always different options," said Raven who was ready to change the direction of the conversation. "So are we going to eat pizza or not?"

"Ooh, someone a little hungry?" Beast Boy smirked only to have his own stomach wretch out a dreadful sound that instantly mortified him. He tried to clear his throat to cover the sound but no one was fooled. "Yeah, so, let's go get that pizza!"

"I'll meet you guys over there in a few minutes," said Cyborg. "Gotta play leader for a few minutes."

"Your favorite role," Beast Boy chuckled.

"What can I say?" Cyborg shrugged with a smile. "You two go on ahead. And, Raven, make sure you get me something with meat on it. No matter how much he sweet talks you into nothing but veggies."

"His sweet talk has no effect on me," she said and began walking down the sidewalk towards the pizza shop.

"See ya in a few, Trash Can," Beast Boy smirked and followed after Raven. He was glad to get a moment alone with her. Over the past few days he'd noticed that whenever they were together, and especially when they were alone, the atmosphere between them was, for lack of a better word, fun. Whether it was playful banter or good natured teasing they were enjoying each other's company. "And what do you mean my sweet talk has no effect on you? I swear I've seen your knees buckle once or twice."

"That's a flat out lie," she replied.

"Okay so it might just have been my imagination," he conceded. "But I've got a pretty potent mind cinema up in my brain. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember what's real and what's fake."

"In that case let me assure you that you've never made my knees buckle," she said confidently.

"Well then I guess I've got a new goal to shoot for," he smiled. "Making your knees buckle from my sweet talking."

"You should devote your time to a more accomplishable goal," she suggested. "Like figuring out which came first, the chicken or the egg."

"Or I could just ask you out right now and see where that gets me," he said plainly.

At that moment her foot found a hole in the cement and she stumbled.

"Holy shit, did that actually work?!" he exclaimed, catching her before she fell.

"Of course not!" she snapped and righted herself, pulling out of his grasp. "I tripped, obviously. As if I'd fall for such a lame line. If that's what you call sweet talking then it's no wonder you're single."

"Hey it was just a shot," he laughed. "I wanted to see where we stood. Guess I'll have to actually put some effort in this. Not that I expected anything less. You are the ultimate unattainable woman."

"And what does that mean?"

"You don't know what unattainable means?"

"Of course I know what it means! I meant what do you mean when you say that I'm the ultimate unattainable woman?"

"Well you are, aren't you? The one woman no man can ever be good enough for even though they're all head over heels in love with her?"

She felt heat spread throughout her face but she just shook her head and chuckled. "Now that's what I call sweet talk. But, sadly for you, it hasn't made my knees buckle."

"Well shit," he laughed. "Gonna hafta bring out the big guns for you."

"Hopefully not right now, seeing as I'm wise to your little game," she advised him.

"Fine," he sighed in defeat. "Let's just focus on getting some pizza. My knees are about to buckle from hunger!"

They made it to the restaurant, it was only a few blocks away, and happily ordered two pizzas for the table and two to go. He enjoyed a beer with his vegetarian's delight while she sipped an iced tea and munched on a slice of the meat lovers. It wasn't her favorite, personally, but knowing that Cyborg would be joining them she decided to order his preferred pizza. But she'd had a slice of the veggie as well, just to please the changeling.

"Why didn't you get a drink? We had one hell of a victory today so I think you deserve it," he said after a swig from his bottle.

"I didn't do enough work to warrant a reward," she shrugged. "And I don't like alcohol. The taste doesn't agree with me."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "But I do think you earned a reward. Want another slice of my pizza?"

"You mean the last slice of your pizza? I can't believe you almost ate the entire thing."

"What can I say? Transforming burns a lot of calories. I bet I could beat Vic at an eating contest for sure."

"Please don't put that theory to test."

"Speaking of, where is he? It shouldn't take this long to wrap up a post-villain-takedown mess."

"We caused a lot of damage. I'd be surprised if he even shows up."

"You think that was a lot of damage? Babe, you gotta come see one of my solo gigs."

"Don't call me 'babe'. And I don't think it's alright to brag about something like damaging people's homes and businesses."

"I'm not bragging, I'm just saying we actually did a pretty decent job today keeping the damage to a minimal."

She sighed and wiped some pizza grease off her hands with a napkin. "I could never live like this again. The anxiety, the anger, the bloodshed. After the peace I've had for the last five years this is my worst nightmare."

"Well I can't say I like it all that much either. Guess I'm just used to it at this point."

"How long are you going to keep doing this? I mean, do you ever want to have a different life? Or do you like the spontaneity of working mission to mission and never settling in one spot?"

"I told you already. I'm gonna have my own nature show."

"You were serious?"

"Of course! Who better to host a show about animals than me? Other than being a superhero there's not much stuff I can get away with. I can't exactly hold some humdrum job the way I look. And I do like being constantly on the move. I get to see more of the world that way. But it'd be nice to have a schedule of where I'm going and when and to do what. And if I have my own show then I can choose where I go and what animals I want to talk about."

"So you're going to travel the world and educate people about animals?"

"Yup, that's the plan. I'm gonna take a few college courses to learn all of the right scientific words so I actually sound intelligent, pitch my idea to a few networks, hopefully get picked up by one, and get to work planning the show. Not sure when I'm gonna do it but I'm guessing sooner rather than later. This superhero shit's aging the hell outa me."

She smiled gently and said, "It sounds like you have a very nice, well thought out plan for yourself. I'm genuinely impressed. And going around the world to different animals' natural habitats sounds incredibly inviting to me. No people around, just the calmness of nature."

"You can join me if you want."

"Maybe once in a while, if you're ever my way."

"I'm gonna hold you to it," and he took another swig of his beer. "It'd be nice to have a friend amongst the camera crew. That's the one thing I'm not looking forwards to. At least with this freelance hero gig I get to see a lot of my friends often. If I'm out of the business and living in the wilderness I won't get to see anyone."

"Knowing you I'm sure you'll become friends with your crew."

"Yeah but we won't have the history. They'll just be there cuz it's a job, not because they're my friends."

"Well how about if whenever you feel this way you come see me?"

He laughed. "Yeah, right. I'll be all needy and wanting friendly affection and you'll be keeping me at a ten foot distance."

"I promise I'll welcome you in whenever you turn up on my doorstep. I'll even pat your head to make you feel better."

"Aw, you're too kind. I'll be like a tame wolf who shows up every once in a while for a belly scratch before disappearing for months at a time."

"I'm not scratching your belly."

"How about behind my ear?"

The door of the pizza shop opened and in came Cyborg at last. He spotted them quickly, it wasn't hard, and headed towards their table. "Man, I thought I'd never get outa there. You save me anything?"

Raven turned a box of pizza towards him and opened it, revealing that only a single slice was missing. "All yours."

"You beautiful goddess!" he cheered and practically shoved the pizza, box and all, down his gullet.

"See? Now _that_ could make my knees buckle," she smirked at the changeling.

"What?! You've gotta be kidding me!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"I am," she said, still smirking

He wanted to be mad at her for getting the better of him but he couldn't. Not with her smiling the way she was, a way that made him want to smile right back at her. He just laughed, picking up his last slice. "You're not gonna make this easy for me, that's for damn sure."

"Make what easy?" asked Cyborg.

"Nothing," both said together.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It wasn't the nicest of afternoons. Rain fell in mixed patterns, sometimes lightly and sometimes in sheets, and the air was cool. Inside the dry, warm tower the Titans were enjoying a day of leisure. Starfire was sitting on the couch knitting a baby bonnet while Raven held her yarn with one hand and a book in the other. Beast Boy was using a laptop to play an online game he was slowly becoming addicted to. Nightwing was M.I.A. but no one was concerned. As for Cyborg, he was just walking into the common room, chatting on the phone with Sarah.

"I don't care, as long as you want… Well if you wanna be here that long you shoulda came with me. I mean, you're the one who said you didn't wanna come… Yes you did!... Babe, I wouldn't have left you there if you wanted to go… No I wouldn't have!... What're you talking about?!... Oh… Don't tease me like that! I can hear Karen laughing in the background!... You two suck… So when-"

The tower lights dimmed and red flashed while a siren sounded. A collective groan filled the room.

"I'll call you back," Cyborg said as got off the phone and went to the mission console. "Trouble guys."

"Obviously," Raven stated, setting the book and skein of yarn aside.

"Just when I was really getting into this game," Beast Boy whined, closing the computer.

"Oh I am not in the mood to be doing the crime fighting today," Starfire stated.

"Trouble!" Nightwing called as he entered the room.

"Too late, I already said it," Cyborg smirked.

"So who is it this time?" asked Beast Boy, jumping up and down to loosen his body.

Nightwing quickly pushed Cyborg aside and accessed the information. "Looks like Doctor Light's raiding the jewelry shop on third and main."

"Is that all? Man, I hung up on Sarah for this," Cyborg grumbled and redialed his phone.

"I'll do it," asked Beast Boy, holding his arms and stretching his muscles. "I've been sitting too long, anyway. If I don't do something now I'm not gonna do anything today."

"Alright, it's you're mission," said Nightwing.

Beast Boy made his way up to the roof and took off, heading towards the city and his mission. Once he landed near the scene of the ongoing crime he linked up his communicator ear piece to the tower's speakers. He was going to use this situation to his advantage.

"Yo Ravey-Baby, you can watch me live on the big screen if you want."

"First off, don't ever call me _that_ again. And secondly, why would I want to?" she asked the voice coming from nowhere.

"Cuz you're scared that I'm not good enough to be working missions on my own," he said. "So if you watch me I can put all your worries to rest. And maybe I'll finally get those knees of yours to buckle."

"You think my watching you beat up a man and damage the city is going to get me to swoon?" she asked.

"Oh, I definitely think I'll get you to swoon," he smiled to himself as he jumped from roof to roof, looking for the best place to strike from. "Cuz I'm not gonna cause any amount of damage. I'm not even gonna hurt old Doctor Light."

"You're going to take down Doctor Light without harming him or the city?" she asked, after a pause.

"That's right," he said confidently.

She thought then said, "Fine. I'll watch this solo mission of yours. And if you are somehow able to do all that you say I just may find a buckle in my knee. But no promises."

"Yes! Grab a seat and get ready for the show!" he said as he spotted Doctor Light through the jewelry shop's windows.

Back at the tower, Raven sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote and turned on the surveillance cameras around the general area of the crime. Starfire offered her the yarn again and she took it so that the other could continue knitting. Cyborg, who was back on the phone, made his way over and sat down next to her.

"Uh huh… Okay, just call before you leave… Sounds great… Yeah… Yeah, I love you too… Bye." He put the phone back on its charge in his arm and looked straight at her. "So what's the deal with you and Gar?"

"Excuse me?" Raven replied, a bit startled.

"You know, this whole 'him making your knees buckle' thing," he clarified.

"Yeah, what _is_ that all about?" asked Nightwing, who was in the kitchen getting a drink.

"Oh that. It's nothing," she said. "Somehow he got it into his head that he has to make my knees buckle due to my being swooned by him."

"And you didn't send him through a wall when he said this?" Cyborg chuckled.

"Hey if he needs a hobby to keep him busy this one's pretty harmless. And it's been a while since a man's tried to swoon me so I'm all for it," she replied.

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

"Wow, I did_ not_ expect that," said Nightwing.

"Yeah, the Raven from five years ago would've nipped this in the bud pretty quickly and hurt Gar in the process," said Cyborg.

"It would be pointless to get upset over something as harmless as this," she shrugged. "If I've learned anything from constant meditation and self-reflection it's that it's easier to go with the flow and let people be who they are. Intervening should only come if absolutely necessary. And I don't deem this necessary to get upset about. If he wants to try and impress me that's his decision. Whether I ever do become impressed is my decision."

"Uh… wow," said Cyborg. "I can't believe you actually don't mind the Grass Stain putting the moves on you."

"I'm not a nun, you know," she stated. "Contrary to popular belief I do like it when a man pays positive attention to me. And the fact that it's Garfield is even better because I know and trust him. I don't have to worry about some dark ulterior motive."

"So you _like_ that he's flirting with you?" Nightwing asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure," she shrugged and turned the page.

Cyborg eyed her and said, "Are you sure you're really Raven? Cuz I'm having serious doubts right now." A compartment opened in his chest and out popped a machine that scanned the empath's body.

"I believe Raven does not mind being swooned by Garfield because she holds the romantic feelings for him," Starfire accused with a smile.

"Aw, is that true, Rae-Rae?" Cyborg teased, causing her to cringe.

"If it is I think we _will_ have to get her checked out," Nightwing chuckled.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt, but I can still hear you guys," Beast Boy's voice appeared.

Raven felt herself becoming flushed all over. Knowing that he'd heard all that she'd said about him filled her with an embarrassment she wasn't prepared for. "Why aren't you taking down Doctor Light?"

"I was sorta waiting for you guys to pay attention," he said. "So… are you ready?"

"Don't mind us, you go right ahead and kick his ass," said Cyborg.

"Won't need to," said Beast Boy. "Like I told Raven, I'm gonna do this without even landing a scratch on the guy. Hell, I'd even go so far as to say that I'll wrap this up in under thirty seconds."

"Well now you're pushing it," said Raven.

"Just you watch, pretty lady," his voice smirked.

She sighed but did need to force her lips to stay flat, though they were bent on smiling. They all paid close attention to the large screen and watched as Doctor Light kicked the jewelry shop's door open and exited into the rain, his arm that was modified to hold a large gun that shot out burst of burning light pointing at anyone who dared tried to stop him. He was smiling victoriously, a sack slung over his shoulder that was no doubt filled with jewelry.

"If you don't wish to be blinded I suggest you stay where you are," he called inside to the employees. "And remember! Doctor Light will never be…" He trailed off as he heard something gushing from the sac over his shoulder and splashing into a puddle beneath his feet. He looked and saw there was a large hole spilling jewels. Only seconds before a green crab had scuttled out of it and turned into a beetle that was now perched on his shoulder. He quickly grabbed at the bag to stop the goods from spilling all over the pavement. The beetle flew behind him and transformed into the changeling, who smoothly slapped a pair of cuffs around the man's ankles. The 'doctor' tried to take a step but instantly tripped, slipped, and went heading for the cement with a startled yelp. The hero quickly grabbed him before the impact, twisted him, and slipped a second pair of cuffs around his wrists that were now behind his back.

"Time!" Beast Boy shouted, the villain apprehended and rather confused. "No damage to man or building and in under thirty seconds. What'd you think, Doctor Light?"

"How…How…" Doctor Light sputtered.

"How? I'm just that good," Beast Boy smirked. "So, Rave, how're your knees feeling?"

She was actually stunned by how easily he'd taken down the criminal. Doctor Light wasn't a difficult catch, that was understood, but the changeling had made him look like a practice exercise; as though this were a game. And he'd done it without breaking anything in the process. She was actually impressed. To the point that, while watching him in action, she'd broken out in goose bumps all over. But she didn't want him to know that just yet. "Get back to the tower and I'll tell you."

"Ooh, that sounds like good news to me," he smiled. "I'm gonna take care of this business then I'll be back. Gar out!"

They watched him turn his earpiece off and get to work throwing the defeated villain over his shoulder and walking off down the street. Cyborg turned the screen off while Raven stood up with her mug of tea. Starfire, who had paused in her knitting, got back to work. Nightwing just stood with a satisfied smile. It was strangely quiet.

"Man, he just set the bar for villain takedowns," Cyborg said at last. "I know I could never have done that. He didn't even set off a car alarm!"

"I know. His technique, speed, and style have definitely improved," said Nightwing, who seemed to be the only one who wasn't astounded.

"Man, no wonder he's gotten so many jobs," said Cyborg, scratching his head.

"Perhaps he is a better hero working alone?" Starfire offered.

"Oh yeah, definitely," said Nightwing. "Without anyone else around he has no one to goof off with and has to focus and get the job done."

"Why aren't you more impressed?" asked Raven.

"I've been reviewing all of Gar's missions," Nightwing shrugged. "Sometimes I just get a report and sometimes I get actual footage. There's a reason I send him on high stakes missions, you know."

It took a half an hour for Beast Boy to return back to the tower. Even though he'd defeated Doctor Light so easily there was still much paperwork to finish and sign. He now wished that he had let Nightwing spot him so that he could hand off the boring work to him. But he was glad he was given the opportunity to prove that he _could_ do it. Once he returned he began strutting around proudly. "Alright, who's the baddest beast on the block?"

"Gotta say, you kicked some ass out there," said Cyborg, who was the only one in the common room and was currently doing an analysis on the tower's water purification system. "You definitely left the room speechless."

"Where is everyone?" asked Beast Boy, looking around.

"Dick's taking care of a few 'business' calls from some of our affiliates, Kori's still knitting somewhere around here, and Raven disappeared after your fight," said Cyborg. "I'd try her room."

"Did she look impressed?" asked Beast Boy. "I know she'd never say anything but did she at least look it?"

"Like I said, we were all stunned," said Cyborg. "Go ask her if you wanna know."

"I think I will," said Beast Boy with a hopeful grin.

"Hey, before you go, what is this thing between you and her all about?" asked Cyborg.

"I already heard you talking to her about this, remember?" Beast Boy laughed. "It's basically what she said. I've found a hobby and it just so happens to be trying to make her swoon. You know how I used to tease her when we were younger? We'll I've replaced teasing with flirting."

"And you don't think that's… odd?" asked Cyborg.

"We're just having fun, dude," said Beast Boy.

"Okay, if that's all it is," said Cyborg. "If you ask me I think it's weird that you're focusing your flirting on a girl you're not interested in."

"Hey, I never said that," said Beast Boy.

"So you like her?" asked Cyborg.

"Well… I don't dislike her," Beast Boy shrugged. "It wouldn't be easy to flirt with a girl I couldn't crush on. And… let's just say it's super easy to flirt with Raven."

"Just be careful," Cyborg warned. "You might be setting yourself up for something awkward and uncomfortable."

"You know me, I like to live on the edge," Beast Boy winked and headed out. "Later, dude."

"Don't do anything stupid," Cyborg called to him.

After a few hallways and a change of floors he arrived at Raven's door and knocked. "Okay, moment of truth!" he hollered.

The door slid aside and there she stood, her arms crossed. "Moment of truth?"

"Did I make your knees buckle?" he asked, leaning against her doorframe. "Be honest."

"Alright, I will," she said, her lips flat but her eyes amused. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I was sitting down at the time. My knees might have buckled, had I been standing up, but as I was sitting on the couch they stayed perfectly still," she replied.

His ears drooped with disappointment. "You were sitting? Why didn't you stand up?!"

"It never crossed my mind," she shrugged, and this was the honest truth. "But you did give me goose bumps."

That caused his ears to perk back up. "Really? Goose bumps?"

She nodded with a small smile. "Yes, goose bumps."

"Well," he sighed, "it's a start. I'd say I'm about halfway to my goal."

"Keep up the good work," she said with a small, encouraging smirk.

"Oh I will," he assured her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a hot shower cuz I am freezing from being out in the rain. And if picturing me naked helps your knees buckle, even just a little bit, let me know."

"If that happened you'd be the last person to know," she assured him. "Hell, I'd erase my memory so that even _I_ wouldn't know."

"Aw come on, you know you wanna see this," he said, striking a pose and gesturing to his body.

"I see enough of it each morning when you strut around without a shirt on," she replied.

"And you've never passed up an opportunity to look," he smirked.

She blushed a bit at that. "It's hard not to see you when you go out of your way to be in my line of eyesight."

"I don't go out of my way!" he laughed.

"The hell you don't," she said. "You're either trying to get me to see your body or you're showing off your numerous tattoos. Which is it?"

"A little of both, actually," he said with a wink then ran off.

"Well cut it out," she called after him though it sounded in no way harsh.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Starfire was humming as she stirred a pot of yellow and pink gristle-looking concoction. It was a dish meant for luck, which was what the alien needed for the next day. She and her husband would be getting their results from the fertility doctor they'd seen so she was making a substance that, once chilled for twenty-four hours, was said to provide the eaters with great fortune. Raven was sitting at the table reading while enjoying a cup of tea, though this was a cover. She was really there using her powers to calm Starfire's nerves. The princess was incredibly anxious about the pending results and Raven wanted to do what she could to help calm her. Beast Boy sat near her enjoying a snack of hummus and veggies. He wasn't right next to her but was close enough that he could touch her if he reached out. Every couple minutes he'd reach over to flip the pages of her book. As annoying as this was she could only roll her eyes and slap his wrist whenever he tried.

"I hope I am heating the liquid to the right temperature," Starfire said anxiously as she fidgeted with the burners. "We are in need of as much of the luck as possible. I wish to have a bumgorf so badly."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Beast Boy assured her.

"No matter the results you'll have your friends," said Raven.

"Oh please do not speak cryptically," Starfire pleaded.

"I'm not, I'm just informing you in case the news isn't good," said Raven.

"I will not be consolable if the news is bad. If I am not able to bear children…" She began to sniffle as the negative thoughts entered her mind.

"Don't think like that," Beast Boy instructed firmly. "You need to keep thinking positively. If you think bad thoughts then you're gonna find the negative in everything."

"He's right, Kori," said Raven, impressed by his wise words. "Not being able to have children isn't the end of the world. If you want to have a child there are a few different options you can take advantage of."

"You do not know of this fear," Starfire shook her head. "You do not know how inadequate you would feel if you were unable to give birth to a child."

"Just because a person can't bear children doesn't mean they're inadequate," Raven frowned. "I don't know how it is on Tamaran, but I'm pretty sure that here on Earth a person is judged by their character, not how many children they can bear."

The common room doors opened and in came Cyborg with a large smile and an even larger kite. "Okay, y'all, who's ready for some kite flying?"

"Kite flying?" asked Raven.

"Yup, it's kite day at the park," said Cyborg. "I've been designing this little baby for the last week."

"Is that even a kite? It looks like a fighter jet," said Beast Boy.

"Hey, I followed the rules," Cyborg said, holding his kite protectively. "So who's in?"

"I would very much like to accompany you to the festival of kites but my dish of luck takes many hours to prepare," said Starfire.

"I'll go," said Beast Boy. "I need an excuse to stretch my legs. What about you, Rave?"

She sighed and closed her book. "I suppose I could use some fresh air."

"Well let's go!" Cyborg cheered and hurried out like an excited child. "We don't want all the good spots in the sky to get taken."

Cyborg and Raven took his car while Beast Boy happily drove his motorcycle. The changeling made a quick pit stop to buy a kite for himself and was going to meet them there. The park was packed fill of people and the sky was filled with vibrant colors that danced and dipped and soared on the wind. Of course a crowd gathered around them when they arrived but after a few minutes of chatting they managed to find a spot away from the chaos. Many people wanted to join them but didn't want to get on Raven's bad side. Though she was far less intimidating now, the public still treated her with caution. And she liked that.

"Alright time to show these people what a real kite looks like," said Cyborg, eagerly preparing to get his toy air born.

"So… a real kite looks nothing like a kite?" asked Raven.

"It looks like a kite!" said Cyborg.

"It looks like a secret government prototype for a drone aircraft," said Raven.

"Everybody's a critic," Cyborg grumbled under his breath and walked towards the open field. He began to run and gently release the cable attached to the so called kite. It gradually caught the breeze and began to ascend into the sky, joining its cousins. He walked back over to her, smiling triumphantly. "Booyah! I am a kite flying master!"

She rolled her eyes and opened the book she'd brought along. She heard someone approach and looked up to see Beast Boy, having finally arrived. He smiled and held up two kites still in their packages.

"Got one for you if you're interested," he said.

"No thanks," she said. "I think you should save that one just in case."

"Yeah, Vic's probably tricked his kite out to shoot down any competition," he said, kneeling down to put his kite together. "Man it's been a long time since I used one of these. Hope I can put it together right."

"I doubt it's complicated," she said.

He attempted to assemble the kite, which had the picture of a vicious wolf on it, without using the instructions. He was not successful. Not even after four attempts. Cyborg laughed at him, only urging the changeling to get his kite in the air as quickly as possible to duel it out with his friend. He begrudgingly grabbed the instructions and in five easy steps had the kite ready to take to the wind.

"Quitter," Cyborg snickered.

"Shut up," Beast Boy snapped.

"Don't tease him for doing something sensible," said Raven. "I honestly don't know what it is with you men and not reading instructions. Like putting something together without reading them will make your penis bigger or something." Both men were startled hearing something like that come from her and did admittedly blush before breaking out into laughter.

"Alright, let's get this baby into the air," said Beast Boy, standing up and running off with his kite. He ran a good distance, dragging it behind him as it couldn't seem to catch the breeze. Cyborg was cackling up a storm and Raven couldn't help feeling bad for the changeling. She subtly flicked her finger and up the kite went, flying higher than all the others and causing a gasp of awe from the crowd. Beast Boy cheered with delight and success while Cyborg stared open mouthed and steaming.

"Yeah, look at it go!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he walked back over to his friends. "Woo hoo hoo! You can't beat a traditional kite, Vic."

"We'll see about that," Cyborg grumbled and let out the line of his kite to let it soar higher. "You just wait until I get up there. I'm gonna show you who has the better kite!"

"Dude it's not a contest," Beast Boy laughed, feeling that if it was he'd definitely won.

"No, it's a war!" Cyborg said and pulled the strings to attack the other kite. The sturdy machine of a toy struck its simpler cousin with a fury. The plastic kite took a fatal hit and fluttered down with a sickening sound until it crashed into the grass.

"Dude!" Beast Boy cried angrily.

"Hey, my name ain't Victor for nothing," Cyborg smirked and made his kite do a victory dance. Beast Boy growled and went to retrieve his damaged toy a few yards away.

"That was mature," Raven frowned. "This is supposed to be about having fun and participating in an event."

"I'm just spicing things up a bit," Cyborg shrugged, still smirking. "And don't get mad at me, I mean, he's got another one."

"That's not the point," said Raven, looking back into the book resting on her knees.

Beast Boy returned and threw his deceased kite at his friend's feet. "I hope you'll be able to sleep tonight cuz I won't after seeing that mess."

"Oh stop being a baby and get the other one into the air," Cyborg brushed him off.

"Now way, I'm not playing with you anymore," said Beast Boy, going over to Raven and sitting next to her. "You're too mean."

"Suit yourself," Cyborg said and decided to focus some time to doing tricks to impress the crowd. "Not my fault you're a sore loser."

"Jerk," Beast Boy grumbled under his breath then turned to the woman next to him. "So what're you reading today?"

"Since when are you interested?" she asked.

"Just trying to start up a conversation," he shrugged.

"It's a book about Maori myths and legends," she said, holding it up so he could see the cover. "Do you know who the Maori are?"

"Give me _some_ credit," he laughed. "They're the native people of New Zealand. Well, not really. They were the first people to find and settle down there. But it was way before everyone else got there."

She blinked in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"I had a mission there two years ago," he winked. "Saved the South Island from a mutant wave guy thing that washed up from Australia and nearly drowned everything in its path. Afterwards I hung out for a few weeks, I got banged up and needed to rest for a bit before I took on another adventure, and got to know the people. It was a great time, let me tell ya. The Titans have some serious fans in NZ. Anyway, the Maori were especially grateful and treated me to a few amazing events. They even gave me this tattoo." He rolled up his sleeve and revealed a beautiful design banded around his arm. "They did it the old way, too. Chiseled it right into my skin. Hurt like a motherfucker!"

"Shh," she scolded, looking at the many people, and children, around them.

"Oh crud, sorry," he said, forgetting that they were in public. "Anyway, I think it's pretty awesome. Almost worth the pain."

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I told them to give me whatever they thought was good for me. It could mean something all deep and profound or it could mean, 'Look! This guy's a jackass!'. Either way it looks badass and marks another country I've kicked butt in."

"Is that why you have so many?" she asked curiously. She had been wondering about the origin of the many tattoos on his jade skin.

"Yup. I get one whenever I go somewhere new and it's a memorable experience," he said. "I always try to get something that has meaning to the culture, though. No pinup girls posing or anything."

"Well that's good to know," she said with a smile. "So you not only run around the world saving lives, you also educate yourself about the place you're working in. That's incredibly admirable."

"Why thank you," he smiled back. "Hey, if you sign your name on me I'll get it tattooed on. That way I'll always have a part of you with me."

She rolled her eyes and said with an amused scoff, "I'm not signing you."

"Why not? I'm having everyone I love do it. I've already got Dick and Kori's." He lifted his shirt to show Nightwing and Starfire's signatures on his side. "You can even pick where it goes."

"You're really into marking your body permanently."

"Hey I'm already green. People are shocked whenever they see me so I might as well have some fun. It's not for everyone but I like what I've got going on. Trust me, I wouldn't tell kids go out and get them. I mean, they are for life. So are you gonna give me your John Hancock or not?"

"I'll think about it."

"Hey, how come you haven't asked me to sign you?" Cyborg cut into the conversation.

"I'm having people I _love_ do it," said Beast Boy. "And like I said, you're too mean."

Cyborg was hurt so he turned away with an angry pout. "Fine. I don't wanna be a smudge on your snotty body anyway."

Beast Boy chuckled and grabbed the still unopened kite. "You sure you don't wanna give it a go?"

"And become another of Victor's victims? I'll pass," she said. "I've barely ever touched a kite and he's got a state of the art one that's linked up to his brain."

"No it's not," Cyborg barked, still steamed.

"The point is that as soon as I got it up it would be mutilated," she said. "So I'll just stick with my book. Go give that kite to a kid who needs one."

"Oh alright," he sighed and went to get up, but paused. "By the way, thanks for getting my kite in the air earlier."

She was surprised to hear that he knew of her assistance and nearly blushed. "How'd you know?"

"Rave," he smiled with a light chuckle, "I can _always_ feel your magic."

A shiver she had not anticipated ran up her spine and spread to every nerve ending in her body like sand that both burned and froze at the same time. And her knees, that had stayed strong and stiff for all this time, suddenly dropped flat onto the ground. She wasn't sure what had done it. His smile that was not restricted to his lips but echoed deep within his eyes. The tone of his voice that's rasp reverberated through her. Those simple words that communicated a connection she had not known they had. It was most likely a combination of all three. The fact of the matter was that her knees had given out on her, buckled. She turned to him, startled, and she could see that he was as aware of it as she was. And their eyes seemed trapped in each other's gaze.

"Oh. My. God."

Both jumped. The spell was broken. They turned to see Cyborg staring at them with a wide eye. He placed the string of his kite under his foot and pushed a button in his chest. Out sprouted a keyboard and a transparent screen was projected from his eye. He appeared to be accessing and editing a video file of some sort. He could see them staring so he turned away to finish whatever it was he was doing until he finally said, "And… save!"

"Save what?" asked Beast Boy, raising an eyebrow.

"Just a little something I'm gonna keep locked away until I need it," Cyborg smirked. "And now I think I'm gonna take my kite for a walk. Later. Don't do anything stupid." And with that he grabbed his kite's line and walked away, looking absurdly pleased.

"What was that about?" asked Raven.

"Who knows?" Beast Boy shrugged. "The guy takes pleasure in murdering kites. He's obviously disturbed on some level."

She rolled her eyes but gave a slight chuckle. "Well, I think I've had my fill of the park," she said, picking her book up. "I think I'll head home."

"Whoa, just a second," he stopped her with a growing smile. "I think there's something we need to confirm here."

She sighed and winced with slight embarrassment. "It doesn't need any confirming. We both know it happened."

"So I _did_ make your knees buckle," he grinned.

She didn't want to admit it but it was the truth. Though she'd never intended on letting him get the better of her and succumbing to his charms her knees had buckled. "Yes, Garfield, you've managed to make the ultimate unattainable woman swoon. Congratulations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home. Let me know what your next hobby is." And with that she began to walk away, not without feeling sad that he would no longer be paying so much attention to her.

At the same time, he came to a terrible realization; he'd won. But in winning he'd ended their arrangement. There would be no more flirting with her, no more trying to pry open the locks surrounding her heart. This he could not allow. "Uh… w-wait!" he ran after her.

"What?" she asked, startled by his outburst towards her.

"Uh, so, hey! How about as a reward you go out to a movie with me?" he asked with a nervous smile.

She gave him an odd, amused look. "We never said there would be a reward."

"Yeah I know but I wanna take you to a movie," he said, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly. "There's this Gothic horror film getting a lot of praise and I think you'd like it. We can go tomorrow. It'd get us out of the tower while Kori freaks out about her appointment. Besides, when's the last time a guy took you out?"

She was a bit started by all of this, and rightly so. She decided to feel out his emotions and found that they were anxious and excited. This wasn't like before, when he was flirting with her out of dedication to a new hobby. This was different. This was sincere. Even without the pretense of a hobby he wanted to spend time with her. She blushed slightly and, after debating her answer for what felt like an hour in her head, said gently, "I… guess I could go for a movie."

He brightened up and smiled. "Really? Well, cool, it's a date."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had been well over five years since she'd been to the movies. Often, when she got the urge to watch any movie at all, she'd wait until she could view it in the comfort of the tower. It was better than being dragged out by Starfire or Beast Boy who would always make a scene, though usually unintentionally, and having to block out the emotions of dozens of strangers surrounding her. But now she was more mature and more in control, as was he, so she was looking forward to this little date of theirs. Date. She was still blushing at the idea of this possibly being a date. But she wasn't put off by the idea. And apparently neither was he.

They pulled up in front of the theater and drove for about a block before finding a place to park. Her arms had gone stiff she'd been holding onto the changeling so tightly. She wasn't used to riding on the back of motorcycles and Beast Boy's handling of the machine only heightened her fright. He drove a bit too fast for her taste and though she knew she could always protect the both of them if an accident was to occur that didn't stop her from being a bit anxious.

"Wow, it still looks the same," he smiled, turning off the machine. "I hate it when everything changes." He could still feel her arms around him and, as much as he enjoyed her grasp, he was pretty sure she wasn't doing it voluntarily. "Can you let go or are you stuck?"

"I'm fine I just…" She tried to unlock her joints but found it difficult. It was partially due to the adrenaline leaving her body and partly, to her surprise, due to her enjoying the feel of him. His musk still rattled her.

"Don't worry, this happens to a lot of people the first time they ride," he chuckled and gently pried her hands off of him. Once she'd released him he helped her off the bike and they removed their helmets. He actually laughed at the sight of her hair, all flat and yet kinked. "So does that."

She smoothed her hair down and said, "We should have come at night. People are going to recognize us in the middle of the day." She opened a portal and slipped the helmets inside. It was easier than carrying them around, after all.

"So what? Just smile and keep walking," he said, heading towards the theater.

"You may be used to this but I haven't had to deal with fans in a long time," she said.

"Rae-Rae, we're going to see a matinee of a movie that's been out for over a month," he said. "There aren't going to be a lot of people around to gawk at us. And even if there are I'll take care of them. So don't worry your pretty little head."

"Please don't call me Rae-Rae," she begged. "And you can ease up on the flirting. You've already managed to get my knees to buckle _and_ get a date out of me."

He couldn't believe she'd called it a date. When he'd said their outing would be a date it had been an honest slip of the tongue. But she hadn't corrected him and instead had agreed, albeit awkwardly, and then left for home. So if she was calling this a date then a date it was. And he was thrilled. "Sorry, I've been flirting with you for so long it just feels natural now. I think my hobby's turned into a habit."

"After two weeks?" she asked.

"Looks like it," he smirked. "Wanna hold hands?"

"Now you're teasing me," she accused.

"Tease, flirt, tease, flirt, that's how it's gonna be between us from now on," he declared and held his hand out to her. "Better get used to it, sweetie pie."

She rolled her eyes but after a moment did take his hand. This was a date after all and their feelings, as far as she could see, were mutual; just not confessed as of yet. And it would be pointless to act indifferent or put off by the idea of being close to him. She just hoped he'd be mature enough not to make a scene. "For the record, I don't like any of these pet names you've been giving me."

He was genuinely shocked that she'd actually accepted his offering of slight intimacy. And though he nearly opened his big mouth to make a joke about whether or not she was really herself he managed to catch himself in time. If he ever wanted to hold her hand again it was best to play this off as though it weren't a big deal and that he wasn't going to tease her about it. "Alright, what would you like to be called?"

"My name."

"Sorry, invalid suggestion. Try again."

"I don't know."

"Guess I'll just have to keep trying some out until I find one you like. Looks like I've found my new hobby."

They made it to the theater and quickly bought their tickets before they could be spotted. He went about buying snacks while she found them seats. Luckily there weren't many people inside and once she sat down she relaxed. He was a while getting all of the junk food but luckily joined her seconds before the lights dimmed.

"What took you so long?" she whispered, taking her popcorn and drink from him.

"I had to sign a few autographs," he replied casually. "Don't worry, I didn't mention that you were here."

"I don't mind you mentioning me, just don't tell them where I am," she said and sipped her soda.

"Noted," he nodded, munching on some nachos.

The movie began and meandered through the introduction and plot. He was confused within seventeen minutes and wondering what the running time was. He glanced over and saw that she was paying close attention. He didn't doubt that she knew what was going on. And he smiled, once again blown away by her intellect. He carefully reached over and touched her hand.

"Don't push it," she warned with a smirk that was illuminated by the light of the film.

"Gotcha," he chuckled and backed off. Instead he spent the film nudging her knee with his. And, three times, he felt her nudge him back.

As the credits rolled and the theater brightened he quickly stood and gave a great stretch. "Well that was weird. Definitely not what I was expecting."

"I liked it," she said, stretching as well and standing up. "If more films were like that I'd go to the movies more often."

"Guess I'll have to be on the lookout then," he said and gathered up all of his rubbish. "You wanna head home or do something else?"

"I think we should go home," she sighed. "Dick and Kori must be back by now and I'm sure they're dying to tell us the results."

"Ugh, okay," he wrinkled his nose. "Personally I'm sick of this baby crap. All Kori talks about is baby this and baby that. Dick better knock her up soon or I'm gonna lose it."

"How do you think I feel? I'm the one she corners and talks about it the most to," she replied. "And unfortunately things are only going to get worse. If she doesn't get pregnant we'll never hear the end of it and if she does we'll never hear the end of it."

He groaned dramatically. "Why couldn't they have waited until next year when we're disbanded again?"

They eventually made it back to the tower and saw that Nightwing's vehicle was in the garage, which meant he and Starfire were back from their appointment. As Raven dismounted the bike she was instantly overwhelmed by the oppressive emotions filling the tower's atmosphere. She grabbed on to him to keep herself from collapsing to the ground, something that alarmed him. "Uh oh," she breathed.

"What?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"They didn't get good news," she said with confidence and began to identify every emotion filling the air. "Depression… disappointment… hostility… grief…" A wave of anguish washed over her so strongly that it brought tears to her eyes. She tried to fight it off but it was of no use. She began to all out weep. "Oh no. Damn it, Kori! Why do her emotions have to be so strong?" This was true enough. Starfire's emotions were many times stronger than that of the average human's. So even though Raven had achieved nearly complete control over her empathic abilities she was helpless against the alien's emotional output in times like these.

Seeing her possessed by another's emotions unnerved him and he quickly took both of her hands in his. "Come on, breathe. You can push her feelings out."

"I know, just give me a moment," she said, trying to regain control. "I'm trying to put my barriers back up."

"It's okay, take your time," he said softly, running his hands up and down her arms as a means to comfort and encourage her. He'd never seen her so upset and it was hard for him to remember that these weren't her emotions. His instincts urged him to help her nonetheless. "Why don't you feel what I'm feeling? Focus on me, just until you calm down."

She nodded through her tears and absorbed his emotions. The sorrow was replaced with a calm sense of contentment, affection. It was much easier realigning her emotional barricades when the feelings surrounding her were positive. But she could also feel his worry over her condition and that didn't help.

"I'll be fine," she assured him, though her breath continued to catch in her throat. "Please, just feel positive emotions. Think of a happy memory, fantasize about something, I don't care. The happier the better."

"Come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her as close to himself as he could. He became lost in the feeling of her body and how it elated him. The fact that he could help her and be her support in a situation like this filled him with confidence and delight.

She soaked in his emotions and instantly felt relief. The sorrow cloaking the tower became obliterated by his rapture. She hesitantly moved her arms around him and returned his embrace. She matched her breathing with his and let herself become lost in the feel of his shirt against her skin, the heat of his body, the aroma of his cologne and natural scent. And in this way she was able to finally achieve a sense of peace. She focused and put her strongest mental walls up. She felt herself regain control and confidence that she could choose what she wished and didn't wish to feel. She took in one final deep breath then released her hold, moving away from him. He quickly let her go and took a step back as well.

"Thanks," she said, a little embarrassed but still grateful.

"Any time," he said with an honest, gentle smile. "You okay, now?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, wiping the last tears from her eyes and desperately wanting a tissue. "I'm sure I look awful but I'm feeling much better."

"I wouldn't say you look awful. Your eyes should be bloodshot more often, it really brings out the purple in them," he smiled.

She sighed but grinned nonetheless. "Well let's get up there and find out the details."

He offered her his hand and she took it without a word. They made it upstairs and decided to visit the common room first. Raven was weary about Starfire's presence but was relieved to see that the only person in the room was Cyborg. He was watching television while munching on a rather large sandwich he'd painstakingly assembled. The two approached him and sat down, releasing hands before he could see them.

"So how bad is it?" she asked.

"How bad is what?" asked Cyborg.

"Kori and Dick's prognosis," she clarified.

"Oh that," Cyborg said, uncomfortably. "How'd you know it was bad?"

"Cuz Raven turned into a crying mess when we got here," said Beast Boy. "So spill."

"Well there's good news, bad news, good news, and bad news," Cyborg explained. "The good news is that their genetics can work together, despite the fact that she's an alien. The bad news is that her reproductive system is ten times harsher than a human's, so Dick's guys have no chance of getting through. The good news is that they can do in vitro fertilization. The bad news is that Kori doesn't believe in technology helping to make babies. So now they're fighting about what to do and she's hysterical and he's mad and I'm getting the hell out of here as soon as I'm done with my snack. And I suggest you two do the same."

"Well that's not as bad as I'd thought," said Raven. "It could have been much worse. They're just going to have to calm down and talk this out."

"I don't know what they're going to do," said Cyborg. "She seems adamant about them continuing to try the natural way but he knows it's impossible but she won't listen to reason."

"Where are they?" asked Beast Boy, who wanted to avoid running into them if possible.

"I think she's in their room and he's down beating the shit out of a punching bag," said Cyborg, finishing his sandwich in one massive bite. "I'm gonna go drive around the city and look for something to do. Either of you want in?"

"No thanks, I'm going to go meditate," she said. "I need to strengthen my mental walls."

"Pass," said Beast Boy. "I'm gonna stay here and be her emotional support."

"You don't have to," she said. "I think I'll be fine."

"Better safe than sorry," said the changeling. "You never know when Kori's gonna unleash a destructive wave of feelings. And I don't want what happened in the garage to happen again."

Cyborg eyed the two and smiled to himself. He stood and said, "Alright, guess I'm going solo tonight. Don't do anything stupid."

"No promises," Beast Boy said with a cheeky grin.

The robotic man left and Raven decided to brave the walk to her room, hoping Starfire's emotions wouldn't penetrate her being again. As she walked Beast Boy was by her side, slipping his hand into hers once again. She liked the feel of his hand. It wasn't forced, it wasn't fake. It was just… right.

"So… that was a nice date," she said into the silence surrounding them as they walked.

"Definitely," he agreed, grinning without control. "First one I've had in a while. Think I'll get a couple more?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Are you interested in other women in the city?"

"I meant with you."

"Do you want some more with me?"

"Jeez, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. So how about it? Didn't you have a good time?"

"Yes."

"And don't you kinda sorta maybe like me?"

"Do you kinda sorta maybe like me?"

"I asked first."

"Well my answer depends on your answer."

He groaned, knowing she wouldn't speak first. "Fine. No, I don't kinda sorta maybe like you. I really definitely absolutely like you."

She wasn't prepared for that declaration and felt her body go hot. And she wasn't sure how to respond. She did like him but to use such strong words scared her. So she swallowed, her throat was suddenly very dry, and said, "Well. It seems we're mutually emotionally involved."

"No, no, no, I wanna hear you say it right," he said, not about to let her get away with her crafty tongue. "If you like me then I wanna hear you say it."

She sighed and felt defeated. "If it really means that much to you."

"It does."

"Alright. I like you. A lot."

"Really definitely absolutely?"

"That's pushing it."

"Can't help it, baby, I'm a passionate man."

"Don't call me baby," she said, nipping that pet name in the bud. "But keep working on finding that perfect nickname for me." She headed towards her room, which was only a few feet away now, but turned around when she reached her door. "And I'll tell you what, when you find the one I like I'll let you kiss me." A bold proclamation but she felt it was about time she got to flirt back. But a smirk on his face quickly caused her to regret her words.

"Ooh, you shouldn't have said that. Cuz I already know your preferred pet name. I've just been saving it for a moment like this."

"I'll be the judge of that," she said, standing firm but was actually nervous that he did know. She wasn't prepared to kiss him. Not yet, at least. "So let's have it."

He got very close to her, so close she nearly took a step back had the door not been there, and leaned in. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "It's Rave." Her eyes went wide with shock and she felt a hot shiver run down her spine. And before it could fade his lips had captured hers. She certainly wasn't ready but not a fiber of her being wanted to reject him. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed, longer than the last time she'd been to the movies, and she relished the feeling. It left her body tingling and hot and she didn't want it to end. Neither did he. But eventually he did move back, though letting his lips linger on hers for as long as he could.

She took a breath and said, "How could you have possibly known that?"

"Cuz it's the only one you never yelled at me about," he winked. "See? I do pay attention. So how're you feeling now? Any trace of Kori's agony trying to get in?"

"No," she shook her head with a smile. "I honestly forgot she even lived here."

"Well then," he smiled and leaned in to give her another kiss, this one quick yet strong, "I think I better get outa here before I say something stupid and ruin the moment."

"Oh I'm starting to like you more and more by the second," she smirked with a slight swoon. "It took you five years but you're finally catching on."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Titans Tower was a strange place to be. Well, that's how Cyborg felt. On one hand you had the hostility and depression filling one half of the building, courtesy of Starfire and Nightwing who were entering their third week of bickering over their fertility issues. While the other half of the tower was engulfed in excitement and bliss as Raven and Beast Boy began to carefully explore a more intimate relationship with each other. Poor Cyborg wasn't sure which side was the lesser of two evils. The only thing that kept him sane was that Sarah had finally come to visit for a week… which was ending today.

"Please don't leave me," he begged. "It's like living in a soap opera!"

"But you love soap operas," Sarah laughed.

"No I don't!" Cyborg blushed.

"Oh yes you do," she said knowingly. "You watch four of them."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I wanna be in one," he pouted.

She chuckled. "If you're so bothered then just say something to them."

"I can't tell them they're all making me squirm," he groaned. "I don't wanna get involved in Dick and Kori's fight and I don't want Gar and Raven to think I don't like them being together cuz I do. I just hate how no matter where I go I walk into an awkward room."

"You're the one making it awkward," she pointed out. "I haven't seen anyone do anything in front of you that would be cringe worthy. You're the one who gets all fidgety."

"I can't help it," he said. "I'm not sure what to do with myself cuz I'm the odd man out. That's why I need you to stay."

"Just pay them no mind," she suggested. "If Dick and Kori are fighting then let them fight and don't intervene. If Gar and Raven are being close then just pretend they're not. You didn't have a problem with Kori and Dick being openly involved so you shouldn't be concerned about Gar and Raven now being together."

"I said I don't have a problem with them it's just weird is all," said Cyborg. "It's like watching your siblings shack up. Dick and Kori had chemistry from the start and we all knew they'd end up together. This Gar and Raven thing is completely different."

"You'll get used to it," she assured him. "Just try to stay strong for a little while longer."

"But I don't want to," he whined.

"Well you're going to have to," she said firmly. "Now let's go. If I miss my flight you're going to be in big trouble."

He huffed but loaded her luggage into his car, nonetheless. She refused to let him fly her back and forth in one of his jets, claiming she liked the commercial experience for it was one of the few 'luxuries' she could have that the other's, with their fame, couldn't. He hated this, of course, but knew it was pointless to argue. It was hard being the girlfriend of a superhero when you were a mere mortal so he spoiled her whenever he could.

Far up above the garage, in Raven's room, the two Titan women sat with hair products and accessories all around them. Starfire sat behind the empath, brushing and carefully manipulating the locks. The alien was desperate for companionship since she and her husband were still barely speaking. Raven felt she was required to spend time with her depressed friend, even if it meant the mutilation of her hair.

"I will miss Sarah," said Starfire. "It is a shame she decided not to stay with us."

"Don't worry, she knows what she's doing," said Raven. "She's using this separation as a way to make Victor miss and appreciate her. She's pretty sure he's going to be ready to propose by the time he moves back east."

"She is manipulating him?"

"No, just giving him a wakeup call. And she wants him to be around the two of you, hoping he can see that married life isn't all that bad. Of course I don't think she was expecting you to be up arguing for nearly a month."

"We never believed we would be on bad terms for such a prolonged length of time. I hope Dick will apologize soon."

"I think he's expecting you to do the same."

"Well I have nothing to apologize for so I will not."

"And he feels the same way. That's why you two haven't made up. One of you needs to be the bigger person and initiate a conversation about all this. And if it doesn't happen soon I'm not going to speak to either of you. This is a ridiculous thing to have a fight about."

"It is not! How can you say that having a child is ridiculous?"

"I'm not, I'm saying the fact that the two of you are arguing about how to go about having said child is ridiculous."

"But Raven, you do not understand. How would you feel if you were told you had to take technological means in order to conceive a child? And I do not want my child to be created out of anything but a moment of love."

"That's a nice sentiment but if you really feel that way then you don't truly want a child."

Starfire gasped, accidentally pulling her friend's hair so hard she nearly got whiplash. "How can you say that? I want to have a child more than anything!"

"No you don't," said Raven, rubbing her poor roots. "You want a child but only on your terms. And don't preach to me about fertility difficulties. I know more about this than you."

The alien was quiet for a bit, letting those words sink in. "You do? Why?"

"That's personal information and I don't feel like divulging it to you at the moment. Look, if you want to have a child there are many different options in order to make that dream a reality. And that's something you need to realize and accept if you really want to have a baby as badly as you say you do. That's why Dick's so upset. Because he's willing to do whatever it takes and is keeping an open mind. But you aren't. And now I'm growing upset with you. The only issue you have is that you can't conceive naturally. Do you have any idea how lucky you are? You and Dick are different species and yet you can have a child. There are people walking the Earth right now who can't have a child with the person they love and no amount of medical assistance can help them. And you're whining about the fact that you need in vitro to get the ball rolling?"

Starfire had never thought of it that way. Now her excuse that she only wanted to conceive a child in a moment of passion did make her sound spoiled. She was ignoring the fact that she was very lucky. "I am sorry. Perhaps… this argument is my fault."

"Well mostly but not entirely. Dick should have tried to talk to you by now. He's guilty of not trying to work things out and instead stewing in his anger. So you both need to apologize to each other. And to the rest of us for that matter. I know Victor's been tip toeing around hoping not to get dragged into this mess you've created."

"I shall talk to Dick tonight," said Starfire, resuming her work. "Thank you so much for your wise words."

"No problem," said Raven, wondering what Starfire was doing to her head. "So… how much longer are you going to play around with my hair?"

"Are you growing displeased with our girl time?" Starfire asked sadly.

"No but I'd like to know how long before it's okay for me to get annoyed," said Raven.

"I would like to try one more style and then I will leave you," said Starfire, grabbing the hairbrush and brushing the lilac locks smooth. "If it comes out properly I would like to do it for you on your next date with Garfield."

"Fine," Raven sighed and settled in for more hair pulling and pinning. She was glad her friends were so accepting of her new relationship with Beast Boy. She had expected teasing and many conversations as to how such an odd pairing could have occurred. But it had been fairly painless. They hadn't announced their being together, they just continued on as they were only showing a little more intimacy openly. It had been when they had been seen holding hands as they entered the common room that had done it. They hadn't meant to show everyone, they'd simply forgotten they're hands were still clasped when they'd entered their friends' presence. Cyborg had only smirked and congratulated himself on calling this weeks before. Nightwing had been fairly surprised but, after rethinking the relationship between the two since coming back together, was completely at ease with the idea of their relationship. As expected, Starfire had clapped and squealed and gushed for a good hour. But that had been the end of it and they each got on with their lives pretty quickly.

"I am so happy you and Garfield are courting. You are both in need of a partner and I believe you are well matched."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh I am very much serious! You and Garfield have always had a connection. I noticed it the first time we met… after we had discontinued our attempts at killing each other. It has not always been positive but there is a bond between you that is different from the bonds you have had with other friends. I have always sensed this. And I am so happy that instead of animosity your connection has blossomed into love."

"Love?! I wouldn't say it's love. You're confusing love with chemistry and lust."

"You lust for him?"

Raven blushed at that slip of the tongue. "Well… let's just say that if I didn't I probably wouldn't be going out with him."

"Then will you be having the coitus soon?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. And it's none of your business."

Down below Raven's room, but above the garage, in the gym Nightwing and Beast Boy were sparring. They'd handled Mumbo Jumbo together earlier but the so called battle had been so quick and unmemorable both men needed to get the adrenaline they'd built up out of their systems. The team leader's abilities were the best they'd ever been but, to his amazement, the changeling was able to fight on par with him.

"I should've sent you out to fight around the world a long time ago," said Nightwing, jumping out of the way of two large gorilla arms that swung at him. "Hell, I think I should send myself out if it gets these kinds of results."

"Are you seriously that surprised that I can hold my own against you," said Beast Boy, ducking out of the way of a roundhouse kick.

"Yes," Nightwing replied honestly. "I mean, I know you can kick ass but if you get any better I'm gonna have to watch my job."

"Don't worry, dude, I don't want your job. I'm pretty satisfied with where I am."

"So you're going to keep trekking around the globe after our yearlong reunion?"

"I dunno, probably. Though I am kinda looking forward to an early retirement from superhero-ing. I don't wanna spend the best years of my life getting the shit beat out of me or beating the shit out of someone else. I've got other plans in mind. And I eventually wanna have a family, you know."

"With Raven?"

That caught Beast Boy off guard and Nightwing managed to land a good punch to the stomach. He coughed and wheezed and glared at his friend. "That was a cheap shot."

"Sorry, had to take it," Nightwing chuckled with a shrug. "But I'm serious."

"Dude, we haven't even been together a month. That kind of thinking is way way down the road. We haven't even slept together yet."

"I didn't need to know that."

"Hey you brought this up not me."

"Are you happy?"

"Hell yeah! It's been a long time since I've felt this way about a woman. I mean, Raven's not some chick with a hidden objective. She is who she is and I like that. Shit, I'm surprised she's letting me date her."

"We're all surprised, trust me. And I still don't understand how this thing between you even happened."

"I don't either. It was like the moment we were alone together stuff between us was different. And then the whole flirting hobby thing happened and before we knew it we'd actually fallen for each other. It's awesome but at the same time if you told me this was gonna happen five years ago I would've said you were nuts."

"Well five years ago you were two very different people. You were still kids."

"We weren't kids!"

"Well in the grand scheme of life you were. The point is that you're more mature and she's more relaxed and somehow now you two click. It's weird but it looks like that's what happened. At least you're not fighting with each other anymore."

"Can't say the same with you and your wife. When're you two gonna patch things up?"

"I don't know. I'm seriously pissed off about the whole thing."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Don't think I haven't noticed that we've needed five new punching bags in the last few weeks. So are you gonna just keep beating up equipment for the rest of your life or are you gonna actually get the balls to talk to her about this?"

"We did talk about it but she's not willing to compromise at all. I was hoping that if she thought about it for a bit she'd come around but apparently she's dead set on having a kid the natural way, even though they told us straight out that we can't."

"Well I still think you two should talk anyway. You can't go on like this forever."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, Gar, about Raven-"

"Oh God, here it comes. Listen dude, Vic already gave me every version of 'the talk' you can think of. And he threatened my life in very descriptive ways."

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're together but I hope you two are really thinking about what you're getting yourself into. Are you just having a fun one year fling or is this the start of a real relationship? I think you should talk about this before you get in too deep."

"Trust me, I've already gone over all that stuff in my head. And you know Raven, she's not just gonna do anything with me without much thought. We'll definitely talk about the future but not until we're sure there's gonna be a future. And I'm gonna tell you what I told Vic: let us handle this. We're not kids, we're not horny teens, we're two grown adults. Say whatever you think needs to be said but don't chaperone us."

Nightwing looked at him with a new respect. "Okay. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Hey that's Vic's line!" Beast Boy laughed.

Once Cyborg had returned from dropping Sarah off at the airport he parked himself on the couch in a very melancholy mood. He hated that there was an odd number of people in the tower. And he hated that he had to be away from the woman he loved for so long. He wished she hadn't been so stubborn and would just live with him for that year. But he was smart enough to know that he couldn't change her mind. So he'd just have to be lonely.

The common room doors opened and in walked Nightwing and Beast Boy who went to the fridge for a drink after their sparring session. They spotted their depressed friend on the couch and knew it was time they paid him some attention.

"Yo dude," Beast Boy said and plopped down next to his best friend. "Sarah on her way home?"

"No, I just drove through airport traffic for the fun of it," Cyborg snapped. "What do you want?"

"Well nothing if you're gonna be mean," said Beast Boy, pretending to be hurt.

"I think we need a boys' night out," said Nightwing. "We need to just get away from the tower and away from our girl troubles."

"Hey, I don't have girl troubles," said Beast Boy proudly. "But it's been a while since I got to hang out with just the guys so I'm definitely in."

"You sure Raven will let you out?" asked Cyborg, trying to take another shot at his friend but unable to keep himself from smirking while he said it.

"She'll be glad to be rid of me," the changeling laughed. "Though she'll probably yell at me for leaving her alone with Kori all night."

Cyborg sighed but said, "Alright, let's go out."

"Yes!" Nightwing and Beast Boy cheered. "Boys' night out!"

"No no," Cyborg shook his head. "We're not having a boy's night out. We're having a men's night out. If we're doing this we're doing it right."

"Now that's what I like to hear," Nightwing smiled.

"What's the difference?" asked Beast Boy.

"A valid ID and very little memory of the night at the end of it," said Cyborg.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Raven couldn't help but be amused. There was a point when a stupid act becomes so ridiculously idiotic it's funny. And this was one of those times. She couldn't even be angry at him or for his poor decisions the previous night. He was already mad enough at himself.

"What the hell possessed me to get it?!" he spat, quite cranky from a hangover that kept him bedridden. "What could have possibly been going through my head that I thought it was a good idea?"

"How should I know?" she asked, handing him a bottle of water and some aspirin, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "I wasn't there."

"My beautiful back," he mourned. "Forever ruined from a stupid men's night out. I'll never forgive myself. And I'm gonna kill the guy who did it. I was obviously shit-faced! Who in their right mind would get a hamburger as a tramp stamp?!"

"At least it's only the size of a quarter," she said, trying her best to keep a straight face and not chuckle. Thank goodness for her self control.

"That just makes it worse!" he cried. "If it were a big, realistic hamburger that'd be one thing but that ink stain looks like something out of a little girl's coloring book."

"It's not that bad," she said, trying to comfort him. "You can always get it covered up."

"There's nothing I could get that would cover up the fact that it's a tramp stamp," he pouted. "Unless I got my whole back done which I'm not gonna do." He moaned into his pillow, very distressed.

"Well I'm glad you've learned a lesson," she sighed. "I'm not happy that you have a permanent reminder of your bad decisions last night but you seem remorseful and that's enough. Besides, you deserve to suffer for leaving me all alone with Kori last night. She made me knit baby booties with her."

"I'd gladly knit a billion booties if it meant I wouldn't feel as shitty as I do right now," he grumbled into his pillow. "How're the other guys doing?"

"I've been tending to you all morning," she said. "I haven't had a chance to check on your accomplices from last night but I'm sure Kori's looking after Dick and Victor's computer is looking after him."

"What makes you think Kori's gonna help Dick?" he asked. "They're still fighting."

"I had a talk with her last night and she's ready to make up with him," she said.

"What'd you tell her?" he asked.

"To stop acting like a brat and talk with her husband," she shrugged. "It was about time someone said it. One disagreement between them and they act like it's the end of the world."

"They don't have the practice we have," he chuckled then moaned, as it hurt his head.

"That's true," she said, affectionately stroking his hair. "We have it down to an art."

"Mmm, keep doing that," he said, enjoying the feel of her fingers gently massaging his throbbing scalp. "And I wouldn't mind if you healed my hangover while you're at it."

"If I did that you'd think you could overdrink whenever you wanted and that I'd always help you out the next morning," she said. "But I'll stay until you fall back asleep. And, for the record, I think we're moving far too fast for a couple that's only been together a month. I didn't expect to be nursing you back to health until we were at least three months into this."

He appreciated her attempt at lifting his mood and reached out to rub her thigh. They'd noticed very quickly that they were oddly comfortable touching each other. It never felt awkward or forced, just a natural action to take. But this wasn't to say they weren't still anxious about certain touches, and kisses, in certain places. "Sorry. I doubt you wanna be stuck babying me."

"I'm not babying you," she clarified. "I'm looking after you. And I knew going into this that you'd be getting into trouble and I'd have to clean up the mess from time to time. But you do owe me."

"Definitely," he agreed. "I'm gonna take you out Saturday on a real date."

"A real date? What have been having up until now?" she asked.

"I mean a real romantic, grownup date," he clarified, taking her hand from his head and holding it. "The kind where you've gotta dress up nice. We've never had one of those." This was true enough. Though they'd been 'seeing' each other for a good month they'd never been on a typical, traditional date. Until now they'd settled for taking rides on his motorcycle, walking in the park, or hanging out within the tower alone together.

"You'd dress up for me?" she smirked.

"Up, down, I'd dress anyway you'd want me to," he said, kissing her hand. "Especially if you stopped my brain from wanting to burst out of my head right now."

"Nice try," she said and took her hand back. "Now stop talking and let that aspirin kick in. I don't want to spend my whole day monitoring you."

"Then go get a book or do some meditating," he suggested. "Cuz I like having you here."

"You're ridiculous," she sighed but did decide to meditate for a bit. She crossed her legs and emptied her mind, levitating off of his bed. "If you need anything just tap me."

"I'm gonna tap you just for the sake of getting to say, 'Yeah, I totally tapped that,'," he managed to smirk.

"Shut up," she said, using her powers to flick his head. He whimpered and buried it under his pillow.

The Hamburger Night, as it was referred to in the future, had been a learning experience for all in the tower. The men decided to stick with the simple boys' night out outline they were used to and the women were now absolutely sure they couldn't leave them alone without something happening. The only clue as to how the hamburger ended up on Beast Boy's back was that Cyborg recalled them arguing about what they should get to eat that evening and him fighting for hamburgers. Thus Beast Boy would forever place the blame for the tattoo on him. And the automaton gladly took credit for the ink, terribly tickled over the fact that his best friend would forever bear the mark of his favorite food. And it was sickeningly cute.

Beast Boy kept to his promise of taking his girlfriend out on a 'grownup' date. She had thought it might have been the hangover talking but he quickly informed her that he'd made restaurant reservations and bought tickets to an acoustic concert. He had even made arrangements to make sure they wouldn't be noticed in public. She was immensely impressed. Hell, everyone was.

"How did you get a reservation at Murasaki no Hi?" asked Nightwing.

"Name dropped, how else?" Beast Boy chuckled as he did his tie. The men were gathered in his bedroom helping him get ready. Or rather, they were there to make sure he didn't leave the room looking anything less than worthy of Raven. Nightwing and Cyborg were very protective of the woman and though they trusted their friend to treat her right they wanted to make sure he really did deserve her. And if this meant checking how he tied his tie and if his jacket was wrinkled then so be it. After all, appearance was something both men took very seriously. "Hey, Vic, can I borrow your car?"

"Are you out of your mind?" said Cyborg.

"Come on, dude, I never ask to borrow it," said Beast Boy. "Raven's actually wearing a dress tonight and I don't wanna drive her around on my motorcycle. Besides, you still owe me for Hamburger Night."

Cyborg groaned then said, "Fine. But if you so much as leave a butt imprint on the seat your ass is mine. And don't do anything stupid in it."

"You can play around with my bike while we're gone," Beast Boy offered and that certainly caused his friend's ear to prick up.

"Hmm… that could be fun," Cyborg rubbed his chin. "I have wanted to give it a good look over and maybe adjust a few things."

"Sounds like a good night to me," Nightwing smiled. "Can I take it out for a spin?"

"Knock yourself out," Beast Boy shrugged. "All I ask is that if you crash it I get a new one with a lot more buttons."

"Deal," Nightwing and Cyborg said together, excited.

"So what's Kori gonna do if Raven's gone and you're playing with my bike?" Beast Boy asked the team leader.

"Probably keep ordering things for the nursery," Nightwing sighed.

"So the baby's still on?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, more or less," said Nightwing. "We're gonna go see a fertility doctor about doing the whole in vitro thing. I'm so glad she saw reason. I owe Raven big time for talking to her."

"Don't worry, I used your name when I made the dinner reservations," Beast Boy smirked.

"Well that just means you owe me a favor now," Nightwing laughed.

Raven hoped all of this effort was worth it. Starfire had been fiddling with her hair, helping with her wardrobe, and doing her makeup for the last two hours. She hadn't wanted any help but the moment the alien had learned of her fancy date she was determined to doll the empath up the way she had always envisioned her friend looking.

"Raven, would it offend you to know that I never thought a night such as this would occur?" asked Starfire as she carefully placed bobby pins in her friend's hair.

"A night where you mold me to look like some normal woman going out on a date? No, I can't fault you for that," Raven replied, trying not to yawn. She'd been sitting still for quite some time as her hair was being woven around her head and she was immensely bored, though Starfire never stopped talking during the process.

"I have always wanted for you to experience the romantic date but I believed you would never agree to one," the princess continued. "You have always said such outings are pointless. But I imagined that if you did go on one you would look most beautiful."

"If I do look beautiful tonight it'll be because you made me look that way," said Raven. "You didn't need to go to so much trouble, you know."

"You tended to me when I was getting married," said Starfire. "And you have given me good advice on many occasions concerning my relationship. This is the least I can do for you."

"How much longer are you going to work on me?" asked Raven. "We're supposed to be leaving at 6:30."

"Not to worry! I am only doing the touches of finishing," said Starfire, hurrying up with her last manipulations of the violet strands.

At five minutes to half past six Beast Boy made his way towards his girlfriend's room. It had been a long time since he'd dressed up, he'd actually had to go out and by a new outfit, but he couldn't argue with the results. He thought he looked damn good, so did his best friends, he just hoped his date would think the same.

"Rave, you ready?" he asked outside of her room.

"Just a moment," she said through the door. Seven seconds later it opened and she stepped out, eyes unable to look at him and arms crossed defensively. "So how ridiculous do I look?"

He couldn't have thought of a more inappropriate word to describe her. Her lavender locks were up in a braided crown and she wore a simple but charming white cocktail dress with blue accents. "You look amazing," he said and kissed her, a bit too eagerly.

"Even my hair?" she asked.

"Especially the hair," he assured her. "Kori did that? It looks way too good."

"Well I guess that's comforting," she said with a small smile. She thought he'd look comical all clean and dressed up but instead she'd actually found her knees wanting to buckle. She wondered when she should tell him. She'd save that gem for the end of the night. "Are we all set to go?"

He twirled a set of keys around his finger and smiled. "Oh I think so."

"He actually gave you the keys?"

"Well we couldn't take the bike, right? I mean you are wearing a dress. So I sweet talked Vic into letting me borrow the car. Only rule is that we can't do anything stupid in it."

"I hadn't even thought about the dress. I was more concerned about the helmet fitting over this stupid hairdo."

"All the more reason to take the car," he winked.

Their first stop that evening was to the Japanese hibachi grill he'd gotten reservations for, through Nightwing's name of course. It was always hard to find a restaurant they could both eat at comfortably but this establishment seemed suited for them both. And he had reserved a private area of the restaurant for them, so as to hide from fans and the paparazzi. The show their chef put on was quite extraordinary and they tipped him very generously. They bantered and teased and flirted shamelessly throughout the meal. It was nice having a private setting where they could be together without having to worry about onlookers.

"This is great," she said, feeling very pleased with the night thus far. "It's like a real grownup date."

"Well that's what I was shooting for," he winked. "Bet you didn't think I had it in me."

"I'll admit to a healthy skepticism," she smirked. "A part of me thought you were going to take me to an arcade and a burger joint."

"Ha! Like I would take you to any place within a mile of a hamburger," he snorted. "If you want a burger you can have the one stamped above my behind."

"I'm trying to eat," she said. "And having to think about your green derriere does nothing for my appetite."

"You don't think my butt's delicious?" he fake pouted. "Everyone's always told me it's my best feature."

"I thought your ears were your best feature."

"Girls may dig the ears but my butt is the one thing I've really got going for me."

"Well, I have to admit, it does look pretty nice this evening. Though I think it's because of how suave you look in that suit. You should dress up more often. A pressed shirt and tie? Now that wets my appetite. I almost thought about calling off the date and just dragging you into my room for the night."

"Now that's just mean, you tease."

"Tease, flirt, tease flirt. I believe you're the one who said that this was how it was going to be between us from now on."

"Yeah but I'm supposed to be doing the teasing."

After dinner they headed across the city to attend the concert. It was a showcase of relatively famous musicians performing pieces spanning many genres, acoustically. Of course the changeling had arranged for them to enter and find their seats after the lights had dimmed. Raven had scoffed at the idea of Beast Boy sitting still through an entire concert that included some classical pieces but he had promised to behave. And that he did. He sat through the entire two hour concert holding her hand and tapping his foot and making notes of the pieces he really enjoyed.

"I never thought instruments could sound good without electricity," he said as they got into the car after the concert's finish. "I mean drums, yeah, but I didn't think guitars could sound alive on their own. Acoustic songs have always put me to sleep so this was a real eye opener."

"It sounds like you enjoyed it," she smiled, amused at his enthusiasm.

"What about you? Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much so."

"How about the night as a whole?"

"It surpassed all expectations."

"Did it make up for the Hamburger Hangover?"

"Definitely."

"Then I call this night a complete success." And with that he leaned over and kissed her.

She smiled into his kisses but by the end her lips were eager for his not to leave. She leaned in a bit, letting him kiss deeper, and gently placed her fingers on the curve of his angular jaw. He manipulated his lips to part hers and began to carefully explore her beautiful mouth. She sighed into his breath and slithered her hand behind his strong neck. He managed to get his arm around her back and bring her even closer. He brought his mouth to her neck and was about to mark her moonlit skin when the horn of a car waiting to pull into their spot sounded. They jumped apart, startled, and he quickly focused on getting them on the road. The last thing they needed was to be discovered.

"Talk about a mood killer," he chuckled nervously and cleared his throat.

She tried to hide her blush by looking out the window. She then began to think and, still flushed from their intimate activity, smiled to herself. "You know, for the record, my mood's not killed. Just slightly… wounded."

That certainly caused his eyes to leave the road for a moment so as to look at her. She gave him a side glance and a partial smirk while she bit her lip that sent sparks radiating through his body. "Think your mood can stay alive until we get back home?"

"No promises."

He smiled coyly and turned off the GPS tracking chip in the car.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He lightly nibbled her neck, grazing his fangs along her alabaster skin, evoking gentle and raspy giggles. He chuckled back and moved his lips lower to her collarbone. This time she let out a short but content sigh. She snuck her fingers into his hair and massaged his scalp, causing him to hum with approval. He moved up and captured her lips, giving her soft and delicate kisses that only made her writhe beneath him with hunger. She pushed her hips up into him and he groaned, to which she chuckled again. He pushed his down to pin her to the bed and deepened the kiss. He simultaneously moved his hands from the bones of her hips up her stomach, over her ribs, and cupped her breasts. She moaned into his mouth and moved her own hands up over the muscles of his back.

The sound of a communicator's jingle echoed through the room, causing both to pause.

"Is that mine or yours?" he asked.

"I think it's yours."

"Jeez, we finally get a minute alone and someone's gotta call now?" he grumbled. It had been a few days since they'd been able to spend time together just fooling around so he was justified in feeling annoyed. Every time they had a moment of peace they'd have to save the city or do some chore Cyborg insisted on being completed right then or Starfire would want to inform them of some new fact she'd learned about conception or a number of other inane things that seemed to get in the way of their intimacy. Not even night was sacred, as they were either too exhausted to engage in anything or neither were in the mood after a frustrating day. He grabbed his communicator and saw that it was a text message he'd received. He read it over then rolled his eyes, tossing the device aside. "What part of 'I'm not available' do people not understand?"

"Who was it?" she asked curiously.

"Our Hungarian affiliates," he said, getting back down to business. "They probably want me for a mission."

"Well don't you think you should find out what they need you for?" she asked through his lips.

"Doesn't matter what it is cuz I'm currently grounded here," he said, trying to hush her with more kisses. He was just about to win her over when his communicator went off again. "Leave me alone!" he said and tossed it across the room.

"I think you should answer it," she said, sitting up.

"Rave, I promise it's nothing," he insisted. "I get these kinds of calls all the time. They can find someone else no problem. And if not they're supposed to call Dick, not me."

"Well there's obviously a reason why they're calling you," she said.

"Hey, are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked. "We finally get some time to ourselves and it sounds like you want me to fly halfway around the world to risk my neck."

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes. "I just think, as superheroes, we have a duty to go where we're needed most. And I would have a hard time living with myself if lives were lost because you were here grinding on me rather than where you were needed."

"If they needed me, I mean _really_ needed me, they'd call Dick," he said. "So until then the place I'm most needed is right here." He leaned in to kiss her only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Gar, I need you," said Dick.

"Fuck," Beast Boy's head dropped.

"I told you you should have responded," she said, pushing him off of her.

He grumbled and went to the door, opening it to see the team leader. "Can I help you?"

"You're needed in Budapest, ASAP," said Nightwing with his best leader tone.

"You can't find someone else?" Beast Boy crossed his arms, annoyed.

"It's a 3-49," said Nightwing.

The changeling knew that code and also how serious it was. "Shit. Alright, tell them I'm on my way."

"Vic's gonna fly you there," said Nightwing, walking away. "He's getting the jet ready as we speak."

Beast Boy ran out of Raven's room and headed for his own in order to suit up. The empath was a bit confused and was quickly up and following after him. She caught up to him once he was in his room, taking a pristine uniform out of its packaging.

"What's a 3-49?" she asked. "And since when do we use numbered codes?"

"Dick started with the codes like two years ago," he said as he stripped of his clothes. "And this is a classified code. One of those 'I'm not allowed to talk about it with anyone' codes. All you need to know is that it's super serious and time is a factor."

"Do you want me to come?" she asked, a sudden anxiety growing in her chest.

"No, I can handle it," he assured her, pulling up the skin tight suit. "It's serious but this is, like, the sixth one I've gotten. Besides, we've got our affiliates there. They'll have my back. And in a case like this I wouldn't want you within a ten mile radius of Budapest anyway."

"You're not easing my concerns," she frowned.

"Sorry," he said, kissing her quickly before passing her in the doorway. "Just being honest with you. I thought you liked that."

"Not in a situation like this," she said, following him.

"Don't you trust my skills?" he chuckled as he ran down the various halls of the tower towards the elevator.

"I do I just don't trust other people," she said, gliding alongside him.

"No one's gonna get the better of me," he said. "Sheesh, I had no idea you were such a worrywart."

"Neither did I," she said under her breath. "I think I would feel more comfortable if I knew the details."

"Then talk to Dick," he suggested. "He still owes you for getting Kori to make up with him after their fight."

He made it to the elevator and they both jumped in. Once the doors closed he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. She felt an immense amount of anxiety, excitement, and fear. She wasn't ready to accept such feelings but she couldn't push him away, she wanted to stay connected. It was a privilege to share in his emotions. No other couple could experience this sort of bond.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he nodded, not easing up on his hold. "It's just… this is the first time I'm doing a 3-49 while I have a girlfriend. I mean, shit, before I didn't have anything to lose. Now… I've got you. It just changes things, you know?"

As much as she felt nervous about letting him leave she didn't want him to become unprofessional because he was thinking about her. "Hey," she said, grabbing his face. "Once you leave this tower you focus on the mission and nothing else. You've been specifically called so they expect you to be at your best. Don't give them anything less, understood?"

He kissed her deeply and the doors opened, revealing the hanger. He quickly ran out and climbed into the waiting aircraft. She went to stand by Nightwing who was on his communicator talking to, who she assumed to be, the Budapest team. Once the changeling was in the engines surged and the jet quickly shot out of the tower as there was no time to waste.

Nightwing closed his communicator and turned to her. "Don't worry, he can handle it."

"What's a 3-49?" she asked without missing a beat.

"I can't say."

"Dick."

"It's a highly sensitive mission, Raven, I can't reveal any information. You know that."

"I don't want the details I just want the synopsis of what's going on. I'm not a news anchor or a civilian. I'm just as trustworthy as you are."

"I know that but this is-"

"You _owe_ me."

He hadn't expected her to whip that out and now he wasn't sure what to do. He groaned and pinched his brow. "Fine. I'll give you the outline."

"That's all I want."

He seemed uncomfortable giving her any information but forced himself to speak. "It's a terrorism call. Gar's the only person who can get in where we need to get in, communicate with us, function while in a small size, and not be detected."

"Why can't I do it? I can use my powers to get in anywhere and use them as an extension of myself. And no one would detect me."

"The individuals we're dealing with can detect fluctuations in energy and psychic interference. They'd know if we used anyone with such abilities."

"Then why can't you use someone who can shrink?"

"The area is hazardous for the human body."

"You can't use a robot or a drone?"

"The electric wave length would be detected."

She sighed unhappily. "So he really is the only one who can carry out the mission."

"If there were someone more qualified we'd be sending them in instead." He patted her shoulder in the most comforting way he could. "He'll be fine."

She nodded but it didn't make her feel any better. "I'm going to meditate while all of this is going on. Just tell me when it's over."

"I will," he assured her.

She headed up to her room and locked herself inside. Her heart was palpitating quickly and she felt restless. Never before had she been so worried about one of her friends going out on a mission. But maybe that was because he wasn't one of her friends anymore, he was her boyfriend. He was a man she had connected with emotionally and physically. Though she wouldn't go so far as to say she was in love with him she would admit to having love for him. And she didn't want him to come to any harm. She'd been unnerved when she'd seen the scars he'd acquired over the years when they'd only just met again. Now the thought of him suffering in any manner made her nearly physically ill.

"Everything's going to be fine," she said to herself firmly though her voice wavered. "Worrying about him won't help. Clear your mind, center your being, and focus on yourself."

She floated above her bed in the lotus position and closed her eyes. She breathed slowly, deliberately, and pushed all the little thoughts that were nagging her to the farthest corners of her mind. It wasn't easy. Every time she was close to achieving her usual sense of peace a thought would manage to creep in and disrupt her. She tried again and again but still she couldn't get a grasp on her inner harmony. In the end she was completely unable to focus.

She sighed and floated down onto her bed. "What's wrong with me? I can't be that upset over this whole Budapest thing, can I? I've never been so anxious I couldn't reach my center."

She lay back and made a strange realization. She wasn't nervous anymore. Well, not enough for it to matter. She was still concerned about Beast Boy being off on his mission but it wasn't so terrible that she would have trouble meditating. Then what was wrong with her? Why was her mind so unsettled? She let out a long yawn and became aware of how tired she suddenly felt. All of this was taking a toll on her body, it appeared. Perhaps a nap was the best way to handle the situation she was in; she could rest and not be troubled by her thoughts. She flicked her wrist and the curtains drew. She climbed under her covers and the moment her eyes closed she was gone.

A loud bang brought her back and she sat up, startled and confused. The bang returned with siblings and she quickly realized someone was knocking on her door. "Coming!" she called and shook the sleep from her limbs. She wasn't sure how long she had been out but by the way she was feeling it had been a while. Her mouth felt dry and her stomach cramped with a need for food. She opened the door and saw Nightwing on the other side. "Yes?"

"It's over," he said.

She let out a small sigh of relief. "And he's okay?"

"He's a little banged up but he's on his way back now."

"A little banged up?"

"Don't worry, nothing that won't heal."

She wasn't exactly pleased to hear this but knew there was nothing she could do about it. "Alright, thanks for telling me."

"You okay? You look a little… disheveled."

"I took a nap instead of meditating. I couldn't center my mind."

"That's odd for you. Were you that worried?"

"I don't know what's going on with my head. But knowing he's safe and on his way home definitely makes me feel better. What time is it?"

"It's almost nine."

"Nine? I slept for eight hours? Jeez, no wonder I feel hungry. I missed dinner."

"You didn't miss much. Kori cooked."

"Would you like to split a pizza with me?"

"God yes."

It was nearly three in the morning when Cyborg's jet pulled back into the tower with a very fatigued Beast Boy. He wanted nothing more than to eat, bathe, and go to bed while being cuddled by his girl. Though it had been a success it had taken quite a toll on his body and psyche. The pressure put on him alone was enough to leave him feeling drained to the point of incapacitation. He'd taken a hit to the left shoulder that ended with four stitches along with a massive bruise and a blow to the back that left first degree burns. He hoped there wouldn't be another 3-49 for a long time.

He dragged himself inside, or rather Cyborg dragged him while he tried to keep upright, and was tossed straight into the tub. He carefully washed himself up the best he could, re-bandaged his wounds, and crawled to the kitchen for sustenance.

"We better have something to eat," he whined.

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge," said Nightwing, who'd stayed up.

"Thank Christ!" the changeling praised and went to the refrigerator. He pulled the box out and ate two cold pieces at once. He sighed with relief and ecstasy. "Raven asleep?"

"I don't know," Nightwing shrugged. "She had an eight hour nap after you left so she could be awake right now."

"An eight hour nap? Can you even call it a nap if it's that long?" Beast Boy laughed. "Well whether she's up or not I'm about to crawl into her bed. I think I'm gonna sleep for two days after what I just went through."

"Well you definitely deserve it," said Cyborg. "You killed it out there today."

"Damn right I did!" Beast Boy said and downed a can of root beer in one go. He let out a monumental belch then said, "The world's gonna be in big trouble when I retire. Good luck finding another guy who can pull off a 3-49 like me."

He bid them all a goodnight and headed towards Raven's room. He hoped she was up just so she could alleviate some of his pain. He didn't bother knocking on her door, just quietly moved it open and looked into the room: it was dark. He slipped inside and crept over to her bed. She appeared to be fast asleep. He couldn't believe she was asleep after an eight hour nap. He carefully crawled in next to her and began to rub her back, wanting to gently wake her up. She inhaled deeply and he watched her eyes flutter open.

"Hey," he grinned weakly.

She blinked, trying to gather her sleepy brain, then groaned. "Where the hell have you been?" she asked, a bit cranky.

"Saving the world," he chuckled. "Or at least Budapest. You couldn't stay up for me?"

"I tried but it didn't go very well," she said, sitting up. "Alright, let me look you over."

"You missed my beautiful face that much?" he smirked.

"I want to assess the damage," she said, flicking her finger to turn on the light. They both winced but once her eyes adjusted she looked him over. She lifted his shirt, which was a sign that he was covering up something gruesome since he never wore a shirt to bed, and was not happy with what she found. "What the hell happened?"

"Stuff," he said simply. "Think you can help me out?"

She sighed and said, "Alright let's get that shirt off."

"Aw, Rave, I don't think I have it in me tonight," he smirked.

"If you don't shut up I'm sending you to your room," she snapped, not at all in the mood. She helped him get the shirt over his head then carefully removed the bandages. She was shocked at the sight of his shoulder and back. "And these sorts of injuries are normal for you?"

"They're not normal but they're not uncommon," he shrugged. "I'm gonna have a nice scar on my shoulder. Does it look like anything?"

"It looks painful," she stated. "Now hold still and let me heal you. I'm obscenely tired."

"Oh you think _you're_ tired," he snorted.

"Shh," she hushed him and laid her hand over his wounds. He winced as pain surged through him but it was soon replaced with cooling relief. The soreness melted away and within a minute all he could feel was her hand on his skin. "Better?"

"Much," he said, turning to her with a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, unable to keep a small smile from him.

He kissed her gratefully and said into her lips, "Maybe I do have it in me tonight."

"No you don't," she said, pushing him off and laying back down.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Nightwing and Beast Boy were battling it out with all they had. Sweat dripped down from their temples and their teeth were clenched tight with purpose. Their reflexes moved as quickly as they could manage and each could feel cramps coming on. But neither would quit, neither would dare to admit defeat.

"Come on already! I wanna go!" Cyborg shouted crossly from behind the couch.

"Dude, shut up! I'm gonna beat him!" Beast Boy yelled back.

"Like hell you are," said Nightwing, trying to push his fingers to the limit as they moved about the controller.

"Victor, you are going to the store of groceries, correct?" asked Starfire as she looked through the cupboards.

"Yeah, eventually," said Cyborg, throwing the stink eye over to his friends. "You wanna add something to the list?"

"We seem to be out of the bread crumbs," said Starfire.

"I'll put it on the list," said Cyborg, who archived it on the grocery list in his computer brain. "Speaking of food, what does everyone want for dinner tonight?"

"Steak," said Raven from the kitchen table where she was reading.

"Ooh, I like the way you think," Cyborg smiled. "Steak it is!"

"Steak?!" Beast Boy hollered, letting his eyes leave the screen for a moment to look over at his girlfriend. That was all the time Nightwing needed to run his car off the road and finally win the race.

"Yes! I am the champion!" Nightwing declared, jumping up.

"Son of a bitch!" Beast Boy threw his controller down. "Now look what you made me do! You said steak on purpose just so I would lose, didn't you?"

"No, I really want steak for dinner," said Raven, not being bothered by his tantrum in the slightest. "It's been a long time since I've had it."

"Then what am I gonna have?" asked Beast Boy.

"Whatever you want," Raven shrugged.

"Alright, game's done so it's time to go shopping," said Cyborg. "Dick, Gar, let's go!"

"Celebratory steak sounds awesome," Nightwing smirked and followed Cyborg out the door. "I think I deserve it after that amazing display of racing skills."

"I would've beaten you if I hadn't been _distracted_," Beast Boy spat, giving Raven a dirty look as he passed. "You're gonna pay for that later, babe."

"Ooh, using a name I dislike," said Raven, not looking up. "I must be in for a world of punishment later."

He huffed but left without another word. They both, hell they all, knew that he wasn't going to do anything. It was clear their honeymoon period had ended. Not to say that they fought often or were having regrets, quite the opposite. They were very comfortable with each other and knew they could have disagreements and fights without worry that it could end their relationship. After all, that's how their friendship had been.

"Raven, would you like some of the tea?" asked Starfire.

"Yes, that'd be nice," Raven replied. "Since when do you drink tea?"

"I would like to partake in the tea parties I have heard of," said Starfire. "It is when friends gather in a nice setting to drink tea and eat confectionaries and talk about how they are doing. I wish to have this experience with you as you are my closest female friend. But I know how uncomfortable parties make you so I have decided that having the tea and talking will be just as enjoyable. So… can we?"

Raven sighed. "Well I suppose so."

"Wonderful!" Starfire clapped and put the kettle on the stove. "I am excited to talk about our relationships. I never believed we would have the chance to have such a discussion."

"Why? You thought I'd never get a steady boyfriend?" asked Raven.

"No! Well… I suppose…" Starfire blushed.

"It's okay, Kori," Raven chuckled lightly. "Neither did I."

Relieved, Starfire retrieved two cups from the cupboard and Raven's box of teas. "Would you like to suggest a tea that I may enjoy? Compared to Earthlings I have an unusual pallet so-"

The alarmed sounded and all thoughts of tea were forgotten. The women flew over to the monitor to see where the trouble was this time. Luckily Starfire was well acquainted with how to work the system and quickly accessed the information. Raven was glad for this since she hadn't the slightest idea how to work the computer, since it'd been upgraded three times since she'd left five years before.

"It appears to be Plasmus," said Starfire. "This shall be quite the battle. I shall alert the men." She took out her communicator to call the three errand running heroes.

"I'll turn the stove off," Raven sighed and flew over to the oven.

"Dick, there is trouble," said Starfire. "Plasmus is attacking the down-town. We shall meet you there."

"We're on our way," said Nightwing on the other end. "Are you sure you should be going?" She was currently on a regiment of hormones in order to prepare her body for the in vitro procedure, which wouldn't be for a few weeks.

"Dick, I have told you that my body is more than able for battle even as I prepare for our child's conception," Starfire informed him. "I shall meet you there." She put her communicator away and flew off to put her uniform on.

Raven went to do the same, feeling rather unhappy about having to go out into battle again. The thought of being immersed in the atmosphere of battle always made her feel sick. And as she reached the common room doors she suddenly felt her heart begin to race. But… it was more than usual. It was fluttering as quickly as a hummingbird's wing and her body had become cloaked in a cold sweat. She grabbed her chest and her mind began to dance about. She leaned against the wall and tried to calm herself, center her mind. She'd never felt this way before. Was it a… panic attack?

Starfire returned and saw her friend clinging to the wall. "Raven? Are you alright?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "My heart's racing. Just give me a second." Her friend nodded and waited patiently. She breathed and slowly the odd condition passed. She stood up straight and recomposed herself. "Alright, let me get changed."

"You must hurry," Starfire urged. "Plasmus is causing severe destruction for sure. I do not want the men to be fighting him all alone."

"I know, I'll be right…" she trailed off as her heart began to race again as thoughts of the impending battle entered her mind once again. She tried to ignore it and keep walking but she only got as far as the doorway. She felt faint her heart was beating so fast and her mind was spinning so quickly. She clung to the doorframe and muttered, "I can't."

"Raven, what is wrong?" Starfire asked, very worried.

"I don't know," Raven replied, confused. "Every time I think about going out there I feel strange. Like my body's having an anxiety attack just at the thought of battle."

"Please, you will be alright?" asked Starfire.

"I can't go out there," Raven shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just… I can't, Kori. I'd be of no use to you guys like this."

Starfire wanted to make her feel better, build up her spirits, but there was no time. She had to go. "Alright, I shall leave you. But if you are able to settle your nerves please come."

"I'd like to do that more than anything," Raven assured her. She watched her friend fly off and couldn't help but feel guilty. Her friends were out there, risking their lives for the greater good. And she was stuck in the tower, too terrified to go out and help them. No, it was more than guilt. It was shame.

She went to her room and forced herself into a deep meditation. It wasn't the proper way to go about centering her mind but this was an emergency. But, oddly enough, nothing seemed to be out of sorts. As soon as she'd begun to focus on herself the symptoms vanished and she was herself again. But the very moment the idea of leaving to join in the battle trickled into her mind they'd return. It was clear. Her body didn't want to be subjected to fighting criminals. And no amount of meditation and force of mind could change its internal consciousness.

"What is wrong with me lately?" she asked herself. "I've never had such odd bouts of unsettled nerves. First with the Budapest mission and now I can't even force myself to perform my job. Is the thought of battle that upsetting to me now? I guess it's been slowly eating away at my psyche and now I can't even bear to think about it. What am I going to do?"

And so, for forty-two minutes, she sat alone in her room. Away from the danger. Away from the anxieties. Away from her friends. She sat consumed with shame and guilt at having to let the people she loved most in the world risk their lives while she sat safely at home. She was only given a fraction of relief when she felt all four friends' presences reenter the tower. And in less than a minute there was a knock on her door.

"Rave? You okay?" asked Beast Boy's voice. "Kori said you were freaking out so I've been worried sick. What's going on?"

She gathered herself and opened the door. He was a mess and clearly beaten up a good deal. But he was standing and his eyes were filled with more concern for her than himself. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I'm sorry."

"Whoa, don't touch me! I'm gross," he said, trying to wriggle out of her grasp.

"I don't care," she said, refusing to let go.

"Jeez, you must've been freaking out," he chuckled lightly but returned her embrace. "Don't worry, we kicked his ass no problem. If you had come you'd have just sat on the sidelines and gotten all gooey like me."

She finally released him and took a step back, her eyes very sad. "I let you guys down today."

"What're you talking about? You can't help it if you get a panic attack," he said, trying to wipe some of the muck off of her. "If you could've come you would've. We all know that."

She tried to accept his comforting words but she still felt terrible. "Was it bad?"

"Eh, not too bad," he shrugged. "No broken bones, no stitches. I think that's an awesomely successful mission. Now," he grabbed her hand, "care to join me in a shower? I think that'll make you feel better."

"I don't think I deserve to feel better," she sighed. "But I do think you deserve a reward for performing your duty and defeating a very difficult foe."

"Yes!" he cheered and led her towards the bathroom.

She felt much better after their bathing session together and, with him by her side, was able to face her teammates. Everyone assured her that they understood her circumstance and that they were glad she hadn't forced herself out of the tower. They did enjoy having her by their side when they were on a mission, just for the security of knowing she was keeping watch, but they could still perform their duties without her presence. And that was very comforting.

"I know you've been struggling every time we go out to fight crime," said Nightwing as they sat down to dinner. "And if it's starting to affect you this severely then maybe it's time you left the missions up to us."

"I just hate staying home where it's safe while the rest of you are risking your lives," she said. "If I could go out there I would. Maybe I'm just having a bad day. For all we know the next time there's trouble I'll be fine."

"Well don't force yourself to come out with us," said Cyborg as he brought over a plate stacked with beautiful steaks he'd handpicked. "There's no shame in watching the tower while we're out."

"Especially if the crime fighting is making you ill," Starfire added.

"Yeah, you stay here and keep our stuff safe," said Beast Boy, rubbing her hand. "Knowing you're here is actually a load off my mind. There's nowhere safer than the tower."

"You worry about me when we're out in action?" she asked.

"Hell yeah! Rave, you could be the best crime fighter in the world and I'd still worry about you," he said.

"Ugh, you two are grossing me out," Cyborg stuck out his tongue. "Now can we please have a nice dinner without people gushing over each other?"

"No promises," Beast Boy winked and blew him a kiss.

"Perhaps a change of the subject is in order?" asked Starfire. "Victor, these steaks of meat are wonderful! Thank you for marinating mine in the mustard."

"No prob," Cyborg smiled, always happy to be praised for his cooking. "Dick, you like your spices?"

"Perfect," Nightwing assured him.

"Raven, did I cook it right? You wanted it rare, right?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh God, you didn't get it rare did you?" Beast Boy whined.

"Yes and it's perfect," said Raven.

"You better wash your mouth out before you try and kiss me," said Beast Boy as he shoveled in a large mouthful of vegetables.

"Since when do I kiss you?" she asked. "You always kiss me. And if you can't accept my mouth the way it is then you don't need to kiss me at all."

"Hey! What did I say about lovey-dovey stuff?" Cyborg frowned. "I don't wanna hear about anyone kissing anyone else while we're at the table."

"You're just jealous because Sarah isn't here," Nightwing smirked.

"Shut up," Cyborg snapped. "I've got an idea, who wants to watch a movie after dinner?"

"Sounds good to me," said Beast Boy. "I'm guessing no kissy stuff?"

"How could you tell?"

They cleaned up once dinner was finished and gathered on the couch. The movie chosen was a comedy led by a female cast so as to hopeful please everyone in the group. It went without saying that Raven wouldn't care for it but she stayed all the same. In fact, she cuddled up next to Beast Boy. Something that took the changeling by surprise.

"You okay?" he asked quietly when the movie got in motion.

"Yeah," she nodded, snuggling closer. "I just feel like being close to you tonight."

"That's not like you," he chuckled. "You must've had a really off day."

She said nothing but closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She breathed in his musk and soaked in the heat of his body. She'd never been a needy person, quite the opposite, but tonight she wanted to be close to him. She wanted to feel him and sense him and know that he was with her.

He kissed her temple and held her close. He was doing his best to focus on being calm but in the back of his mind he was concerned. Not about her current want of affection but of her panic attack earlier that day. When Starfire had told them when she'd arrived on the scene he'd wanted to go straight to her to make sure she was alright but had been convinced to stay and fight. And while she seemed fine he knew that something wasn't right about her. And her snuggling up to him only confirmed his worries.

After the movie finished they all dispersed to turn in for the night. Beast Boy walked his girlfriend to her room, as he often did, and gave her a kiss. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"I'm not really in the mood," she said tiredly. "We did fool around in the shower earlier."

"Oh I remember," he smirked. "And I didn't mean that I wanted to fool around. I just thought that maybe you wanted some company. Someone to cling to."

She thought then opened her door, taking his hand and leading him in. "I don't know what's wrong with me today. Maybe my subconscious has had enough of me forcing myself to go off with you guys on every mission."

"Then you should've said something before it got to this point," he said. "You're done fighting bad guys, Rave. You're retired."

"Are you telling me or suggesting?" she asked.

"_Strongly_ suggesting," he replied.

"Good answer," she said with a small smile. "I think I'll take your suggestion into serious consideration."

"On behalf of the team, and especially myself, thank you," he said sincerely.

After changing into their night attire they crawled into bed and she cuddled into his body. She hadn't felt so comfortable in a long time, not since he'd returned from Budapest. And though her anxieties were long gone since that afternoon she still felt… unsettled.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The atmosphere within the tower was very melancholy. After weeks of medication and procedures in hopes of becoming pregnant, Starfire had had four embryos implanted into her uterus. All had hoped at least one would attach and the pregnancy would commence. On this day the couple was given the go ahead in taking a pregnancy test. They took a store bought test and had Cyborg do a blood test; both came back negative. Starfire proceeded to lock herself in her bedroom to cry while Nightwing went up to the roof to clear his head.

"This isn't uncommon," Cyborg assured him. "It may take a few tries before it takes."

"I know," Nightwing sighed. "I told myself there was a strong possibility of this happening. We had prepared ourselves. At least, we thought we had. Everything was going so well I think we got our hopes up despite knowing better. We just… we just want this so badly."

"We know you do, dude," said Beast Boy, patting his back. "And it'll happen. Sooner or later it's gonna happen. You two are gonna be parents."

"Yeah, I know that," said Nightwing. "Just didn't think it'd take this long. We wanted all of you to be around when we had the baby but I don't think that's possible now."

"Ah, so that's why you guys started trying just before we all got back together," said Beast Boy with realization. "I was wondering why you would try to start a family when we're supposed to be working as a team again."

"You guys are the closest people in our lives," said Nightwing. "We wanted the three of you to be here."

"Hey, there's no reason we don't have to be," said Cyborg. "You make the call and I'll fly over here ASAP to be here with you guys."

"Same goes for me," Beast Boy agreed. "And hopefully Raven."

Nightwing sighed and shook his head, trying to physically remove the negativity from his brain. "I don't want to think about this anymore. Do you guys wanna play basketball? I need to do something to get my mind off of all this baby crap."

"Sounds good to me," said Beast Boy, running over to get the ball that lay at the base of the hoop. "But are you sure you should be up here when Kori's so upset?"

"Yeah she just needs some time alone," said Nightwing. "She'll be fine in a bit. I'll take her out tonight to make her feel better. She needs to get her mind on something different for a change. I feel like this is all we've been focusing on for the last few months."

"Well I'm not gonna argue with you," said Cyborg. "We're all sick of it, too."

"Not that it's your fault," said Beast Boy. "We know you'd keep this hush hush if you could. Kori's the one shouting it from the rooftop every morning, noon, and night."

"Well what're you gonna do?" Nightwing shrugged. "That's how she is. And I love her for it."

"Aw, you love her," Beast Boy smirked in a teasing manner.

"Shut up," said Nightwing, sending the ball flying at his face.

"I wouldn't go teasing about love if I were you," Cyborg chuckled. "How're things going between you and Rave?"

"Hey, that's _my_ name for her," Beast Boy clarified. "And we're doing amazing, if you must know."

"Have you talked about what you're gonna do down the road?" asked Nightwing.

"Not really. We're kinda figuring it out as we go," said Beast Boy. "And it's not like we're disbanding next month or anything. We've still got seven months left."

"That sounds like a long time but it'll be over before you know it," said Cyborg. "And if you're still together you'll have to decide how to continue your relationship when you both want to live very different lives."

"She likes her life in the temple and you like to live on the road," said Nightwing. "That's not an easy fix."

"Okay guys, enough," Beast Boy said, growing agitated. "I told you that we'd handle this on our own and we will."

"We're not chaperoning we're just giving you advice," said Cyborg.

"Yeah, we want you guys to stay together," said Nightwing. "You're good for one another. As weird as that is."

"Never thought I'd see the day but I guess Hell had to freeze over eventually, huh?" Cyborg chuckled.

"Shut up," said Beast Boy, though he couldn't help smiling.

"But, while we're on the subject, has she been doing alright?" asked Nightwing. "She's seemed a little… cranky lately."

"You noticed that too?" said Cyborg. "I was thinking the same thing. I just didn't wanna say anything."

"Dudes, I haven't the slightest idea what that's about," Beast Boy shrugged. "Ever since she 'retired' she's been all weird. I don't know if it's cuz she's bored or she feels guilty about staying home or what."

"Kori said she tried to talk to her and she got snapped at," said Nightwing. "And yesterday when we were in the kitchen together she got mad at me because I reached for a cup above her head. Her eyes went red and she actually growled at me."

"Which is weird cuz she won't leave me alone," said Beast Boy. "All she wants to do is be close to me. She never says it but whenever we're together she wants to hold my hand or hug me or something. Hell, I haven't slept in my own bed in the last month."

"TMI, man," said Cyborg.

"No I mean we actually just sleep," Beast Boy explained. "Sometimes we fool around but for the most part we're just sleeping."

"And that was her idea?" asked Nightwing.

"Yeah it's all her," said Beast Boy. "Which I'm happy to do, trust me. But it's just weird that she's the clingy one in our relationship."

"That is weird," said Cyborg. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"Yeah, she just says that it makes her feel better to be near me for some reason," Beast Boy shrugged. "And she said that the rest of you just make her grumpy. I don't know. Maybe she's about to get her period or something."

"Jesus, you didn't say that to her did you?" asked Nightwing.

"Of course not! You think I'm stupid?" Beast Boy laughed. "I'm sure whatever it is will pass. And if it doesn't she'd be the first to know that something was wrong."

* * *

The realization had hit her suddenly and without warning. It was an epiphany of great shock and confusion that had leveled her sensibilities. And once she'd had this epiphany she proceeded to go into instant denial. She couldn't believe that she was in the situation she was in; she thought it impossible. But after hours of rational thinking and deep thought she realized she could ignore her condition no longer and decided to see if her worries were justified. And when they were confirmed she quickly sought out council.

She went to Cyborg's door and knocked. "Victor?" She heard a chair wheel back and then his heavy footsteps approach. The door opened and there he stood.

"Oh hey," he said, a bit surprised. "What's up? Or… did I do something wrong? In which case I'm really sorry and please don't hurt me."

She wasn't surprised that he was nervous about her seeking him out. Over the last few weeks, and especially the last few days, she'd noticed how hostile she'd become towards her towermates; all except for Beast Boy, whom she was still oddly clingy to. The thought of anyone other than him being around her made her incredibly cranky. She hadn't been sure why until now. "You didn't do anything wrong. I need to talk to you. Or, rather, I need your help."

"Okay, what's up?" he asked, obviously relieved.

"Well… um… can I come in? I don't want anyone else to hear," she said, playing with her fingers anxiously.

"Yeah, sure," he said, stepping aside so she could enter. "Is it about Gar? Are you two having problems?"

"No, it's not like that," she shook her head.

"Alright so what's up?" he asked, sitting down in the chair that sat before his large life support computer system that he was currently using to check his webpage.

She felt incredibly sick and did her best to suppress the feeling. No matter how much she wished she could handle this problem on or own and that it would go away she knew it wouldn't. There was no amount of praying and wishing that could take care of what she'd gotten herself into. She took a deep breath, licked her drying lips, and said, "I did something stupid."

He looked at her oddly. "Okay… what did you do?"

She held her arms close and avoided his gaze at all costs. "Something very _very_ stupid."

"Yeah, you've established that. You did something really stupid. So what exactly did you do? Feed Gar a pork chop by accident?"

She shook her head, wishing it was something as trivial as a pork chop. She reached up and pinched her eyes, willing away tears. She took in a quick breath and pushed out, "I think I'm pregnant."

His smile quickly drained from his face and his one good eye went wide. "Pregnant?" he asked, hoping he'd misheard her.

She nodded, still looking away from his stare. "Pregnant."

"Okay, hold on. Why do you think you're pregnant?" he asked, grasping to some hope that she was overreacting. "You miss a period?"

"That and other things," she said uncomfortably. "I'm having symptoms attributed to both human and demon pregnancies. I'm fatigued, my body's changing, I'm craving red meat, I'm clinging to only Gar while being hostile to everyone else around me, and my body goes into panic mode when I'm about to put myself in danger. And… I sort of took one of Kori's pregnancy tests this morning. It came back positive."

"Christ," Cyborg breathed then groaned. "Yeah, that sounds like you're pregnant. Shit, Raven, how'd this happen? You guys were using protection, right?"

She turned away from him shamefully, to cover her tears. "I didn't think we needed to."

His jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"

"You don't understand," she exclaimed turning back to him. "I shouldn't be able to get pregnant! Not by Gar, anyway. I'm a half-demon and female half-demons can only get pregnant by other demons. That's how the demonic bloodline is kept strong. So as long as I don't sleep with anyone with demon blood I can't get pregnant. But… But I am. And now I don't know what to think."

"So why are you telling _me_ this? Isn't this something you should go over with Gar first?"

"I want to make sure before I say anything to him. I mean, I _promised_ him that I couldn't get pregnant. He was so nervous about not using any protection and I swore that this wouldn't happen. So I need to be absolutely sure that I'm pregnant before I tell him."

He took a moment to think then stood up with a look of resolve. "Alright, let's go to the infirmary and do a blood test. Lucky for you it's full of baby equipment in preparation for Kori so we should be able to find out everything."

"Yes, I'm so lucky."

Upon arriving he took a blood sample and put it through the proper test to see if her hormones had changed. Raven went very quiet and seemed to go into deep thought while they waited. Cyborg wasn't sure what to tell her so he decided to use the time to download all of the information required for an obstetrician. He had been planning to do this once Starfire was pregnant, he always liked to be prepared, but figured this was as good a time as any to gain the needed knowledge. And just as it finished the results were available.

"This is it," he said, looking through the findings. "You ready?"

"No but I need to know," she sighed. "What's the call?"

"Well… I wish I could say Kori's test was defective but it wasn't. You're knocked up."

"Fuck." She folded over and grabbed her head. "What am I going to do? He's going to kill me."

"He's not gonna kill you. He's gonna have a lot of questions and, yeah, he's probably gonna be mad but he won't kill you. And you've got, what, eight months to prepare? Seven months?"

"Way less than that. Demonic pregnancies are quicker than that of humans. My mother gave birth to me in a quarter of the time it usually takes. So mine will be about half the time. Which I'm going to have to explain to Gar, since it's going to look like I conceived before we even started dating." She sighed and felt like crying again. "How did this happen? How the fuck did this happen? It's impossible. Humans can't impregnate a woman with demon blood. I've known this since I began puberty, it's a proven fact!"

"Well we are talking about Gar here."

"So? He's _human_. That's the point."

"True but he's also a shape shifter who has DNA that can transform into different species. And we've seen him change into creatures that aren't from this world. So if he's able to turn into alien organisms is it so farfetched to think that he could become something demonic? And that his DNA is able to change into something your body would see as acceptable genetic material? If you think about it, he's actually probably the only human in the universe that could get you pregnant."

None of this had ever occurred to her. "Dear Azar… Why hadn't I thought of that?" She felt like crying and she did in fact feel tears creep into the corner of her eyes. "I'm so stupid."

"Hey, come on," he reassured her, trying to touch her shoulder only to have her lean away and glare at him. He made sure to keep his distance. "There's no way you could've known that. You don't see him as a shape shifter, you see him as a human."

"Great, my acceptance of all people has landed me with a lifetime commitment."

He wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure how to do it without touching her. But he had to do something. "Would you like to do a sonogram to see your progress? We've got all of the equipment and I'll probably be able to pinpoint the time of conception."

"We might as well." She buried her eyes into her knees. "This can't be happening."

"Relax. Let's take a look and figure all of this out before you have another panic attack."

He unpacked and hooked up the equipment that had been meant for Starfire. Raven desperately wished she were able to reverse time and be more sensible, more logical. Of course Beast Boy's genetics could alter so that she could get pregnant by him. He was the one man she should have used protection with. And now she was carrying his child. What a fool she had been.

"Alright let's see what's going on in there," he said grabbing the sensor. "Lift your shirt and move your pants down a bit." She did as he asked and he squirted some jelly onto her lower abdomen before placing the sensor on it. It was already swollen with life. "Now that I can see your body it's pretty obvious you're pregnant. I can't believe none of us noticed sooner. Why didn't _you_ notice sooner?"

"I told you, I thought this was impossible," she defended herself. "I thought I was just gaining weight. I haven't eaten pizza or processed food in years and I'm less active than I used to be. It was more plausible that I was getting fat than being pregnant. I feel stupid now for not acknowledging all of my symptoms sooner. I'm never going to forgive myself for this."

"Now don't go saying stuff like that," he said. "I don't think holding a grudge against yourself is the best way to bring a new life into the world." He moved the sensor a little bit then stopped. "Well… there it is."

She looked at the monitor and her breath caught in her throat. On the screen, amongst the various blobs, was the silhouette of a small being. Her porcelain fingers hit her lips as she stared in awe. "I'm really pregnant."

"No doubt about it."

"How far along does it look?"

"With these measurements I'd have to say about… wow, fourteen weeks. So, if you want to cut that in half, conception would be about seven weeks ago. So about two months."

She closed her eyes and breathed. "That sounds about right. Our first time was around two months ago." The moment she remembered that their courtship had only been slightly over three months was when she finally broke down and began to silently sob. "This can't be happening. We're not ready. I'm not ready. He's sure as _hell _not ready. We can't have a baby, we just… we can't."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well… you don't have to. I mean there are options available."

"No. I can't do that. I always swore that if I did become pregnant, whether it was a demon child or not, I wouldn't end its life before it began. My mother almost chose that path for me. I can't do it."

"Then you're going to have a baby, Raven. And at the rate you're going I'd say your baby's gonna have a gestation period of four and a half to five months. You're already almost halfway there."

"Fuck," she said through clenched teeth, protesting the reality of her situation. "That's too soon. I'm not ready for any of this." She wiped her eyes and tried to compose herself. "How am I going to tell Gar? And what about Dick and Kori? They'll never forgive me."

"Let's worry about one thing at a time. Want me to call him down here?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Beast Boy walked as quickly as he could without breaking into a run. He'd been looking for his girlfriend when he'd gotten the call from Cyborg. He'd been assured that nothing was wrong but also encouraged to meet them in the infirmary. So he was obviously concerned and worried about what could be going on. She hadn't been herself lately and though he thought it odd he knew better than to voice his concerns to her; he trusted that she knew he was worried. But when he saw her sitting on an examination bed next to a few machines he became more anxious. "What's going on? You okay?" She nodded but it was clear she'd been crying. He looked to his best friend who gave him a reassuring look. So it couldn't have been all that bad. "So… what's up?"

"I, um, I need to tell you something," said Raven, clearing her dry throat.

"Okay," he said, feeling ill with worry. "Are you sick?"

She shook her head. "No, not exactly."

"Not exactly? What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means I'm perfectly healthy but there's something… different about me," she clarified vaguely.

"Pierced ears?" he asked with a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood in the room. "Bellybutton ring? Nipple rings?"

"Gar!"

"What? Am I hot or cold?"

"Very cold," Cyborg snickered, though he knew it wasn't the time to chortle.

"Jeez, I better tell you before you keep talking," she rubbed her eyes. She took in a deep breath, trying to compose herself, and began again. "Do you remember when we talked about birth control?"

He gave her an odd look. "…Yeah. You said we didn't need any cuz you're part demon, right?"

"Exactly. Well… as it turns out we should have used something. Because, as is my luck, I've fallen for the one human in the universe who is exempted from the laws of demon biology."

"Huh?"

"Well you see…" she gulped, "I'm sort of… pregnant."

He stared at her as though frozen for a good moment. "…Pregnant?" She nodded, keeping her gaze locked with his to assure him he'd heard right. His eyes broke from hers and he blinked a few times before he proceeded to pace around the infirmary, huffing roughly through his nose and moving his hands into various positions and poses, none of which he accepted, while his mind raced. The word just kept repeating in his brain. Pregnant. What did it mean again? Did it really mean what he believed it to mean? She had said pregnant, hadn't she? She was pregnant? _Pregnant_?

As she watched him awkwardly walk and experienced his emotions jump around she felt incredibly guilty. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think this was possible, Gar, you have to believe me. If I'd known there was even the slightest chance of this happening I would've said something, I swear."

"But… But you said," he sputtered, "you said you couldn't get pregnant. You said I'd have to be a demon to get you pregnant. Does this mean I'm a demon? Or that you don't need a demon? How did, I mean, you're sure? You're pregnant? Really?"

She felt incredibly rotten having gotten him into this situation. "I'm definitely pregnant."

"Your DNA is able to transform into different species," Cyborg explained. "So when Raven's body wanted something demonic it changed into something demonic. That's why you were able to get her pregnant. She didn't lie to you, man."

"Oh no! No, no, no, I didn't think that," Beast Boy said quickly and firmly, looking back and forth between them. "I know she wouldn't lie. I know you wouldn't lie to me, Rave. I'm just… holy shit. Pregnant? With a baby?" And then it clicked in his brain. A baby. Raven was going to have a baby, his baby. He looked at her and his shock was gone instantly. He quickly went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh wow. We're gonna have a baby." And, having said it aloud, the idea suddenly sent warm bubbles all over his body. He smiled and hugged her tighter. "We're gonna have a baby."

She was quite shocked by the hug and the change in his emotions. "Well… yes, we are."

He pulled back and kissed her. "Oh my God! This is so… wow!"

"So… you're not mad?" she asked.

"Mad?! We're gonna have a baby! Why would I be mad?" he asked. "I mean, yeah, I can't believe this happened and I'm scared as shit, but there's no way I could ever be mad over finding out that I'm gonna be a dad!" His eyes then went wide. "I'm gonna be a dad. Oh my God." He backed away and bent over, putting his head between his knees and wobbling a bit. Cyborg quickly threw a chair under him before he fell to the floor.

"Oh jeez, keep breathing," Raven instructed, worried he may pass out.

"I'm gonna be a dad," the changeling said, his face in his hands. The bits of his face that could still be seen suddenly constricted and he let out a whine that prefaced his body convulsing as he began to sob. "I'm gonna be a dad."

Seeing him start to weep with happiness certainly eased her fears. "Do you want to see a picture? A few stills were taken from the sonogram we just did."

The changeling looked up with wet eyes. "A picture? Yeah I wanna see it!"

"Alright, relax you blubbering mess," Cyborg laughed. He opened up the file folder with the pictures. He brought up the best one and showed it to the changeling.

"Oh my God," Beast Boy squeaked, his eyes tearing up again. "That is so cool."

"I had no idea you were such a weeper," she noted, amused and amazed.

"I'm not," he said firmly. "But, fuck it, if ever there was a time to cry from happiness this is it!" He went over to her and kissed her deeply again and again. "I'm so glad you're gonna be my baby mama."

"Please don't ever refer to me as that again," she insisted, but smiling nonetheless.

He chuckled and wiped his eyes. "It was in the car, wasn't it? After the concert?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's when it happened."

"That is so trashy," he smirked with a teasing tone. "Knocked up in a friend's car. I'm totally ruining your reputation. I should grow out a mullet and get some cheap beer to celebrate."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Cyborg burst. "Car?! You guys did it in a car? What car? Not _my_ car? Oh no, no, no! You did _not_ have sex in _my_ car!"

"Sorry, dude, we couldn't wait," Beast Boy laughed, too high on the baby news to care about how angry his best friend was.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" Cyborg boiled. "You said that you turned off the tracking device by accident when you wanted to open the sunroof but I _knew_ you did it on purpose. How am I supposed to drive my baby now?!"

"Hey we've got seven months left before the team breaks up again, is it gonna be here before then?" Beast Boy asked eagerly, ignoring his friend's fury.

"Well… that's something else I need to tell you," Raven shifted uncomfortably. "I'm only going to be pregnant for four or five months in total."

That startled him and sobered his thoughts for a moment. "But… isn't it nine months?"

"For a normal human, yes, but I'm different," she said. "Demonic pregnancies are quicker and as this child will be one fourth demon that means it's growing faster than usual."

"So… how long do we have?" he asked, sitting back down.

"Well we're two months in so we're looking at two or three more months," she said.

"Oh," he breathed. "Wow, that's quick. Um… shit, that's real quick."

"It's not a lot of time to get ready," she sighed. "And we've got a lot of stuff to do and talk about. _A lot_." He nodded but then looked up at her and smiled. "What?"

"I just… I can't believe this is happening," he said, going to her. He kissed her and looked into her eyes, smiling. "We're gonna have a baby, Rave. We're gonna have a baby!"

She couldn't believe the happiness radiating off of him. Her fears of his being eternally angry with her, or feeling betrayed, were obliterated. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. "Yes we are."

He smiled and reached out towards his best friend, wanting to pull him into the hug. "We're having a baby, Vic!"

"Fuck you," Cyborg snapped grumpily. "You think I'm gonna hug you after what you did? You conceived _your_ baby in _my_ baby. Unforgivable, man, unforgivable."

"That means you had a part in its creation, so come on," Beast Boy beckoned him over. "Come on, Uncle Vic. You know you wanna."

Cyborg didn't want to but, with a sigh of defeat, he stepped over and hugged the two of them. "I'm still mad, just so you know. And I'm gonna claim this kid of yours as partly mine. If I don't get to be godfather, at the very least, I'm going Rumpelstiltskin on your ass."

"Fair enough," Beast Boy chuckled. He looked at Raven and noticed that she was suddenly looking very downcast. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"What are we going to do about Dick and Kori?" she asked softly.

"What about them? I'm sure they'll be happy, too," said Beast Boy.

"They just found out today that after months of trying and having to go through very expensive medical procedures to try and achieve their dream of having children that she still isn't pregnant," she said. "And we conceived the first time we had sex. We're going to have a baby long before they do. Kori's never going to forgive me."

"Hey, come on, yes she will," the changeling assured her. "And, for the record, you don't need to be forgiven for anything. This is a good thing! This is amazing, happy, awesome news and don't feel like it's anything else, okay?"

"I can't tell her," Raven shook her head. "I can't be faced with having to feel the emotions this news is going to provoke from her. I don't even want to be in the tower."

"Don't worry," he said, kissing her chakra. "I'll take care of it. I'll talk to Dick and he can break the news to her. Sound good?"

"Yeah, you don't need any added stress," Cyborg advised her. "Your body is already going through a lot having to grow a baby twice as fast as normal."

"I'm gonna go talk to him right now," Beast Boy said excitedly. "You need anything? Want me to walk you back to your room? The common room? You hungry?"

"I'm pregnant not paralyzed!" she said, shooing him out the door. "You go and _gently_ break the news to him. I'm going to try to wrap my head around the fact that I've got a life growing inside of me."

He smiled and kissed her again before running out. He'd never been so excited, so happy. He'd been worried that she was sick or going through an emotional issue but instead it was the greatest news he could ever imagine. He was going to be a father! And he would forever worship the ground Raven walked on for mothering his child.

He ran around the tower for a bit before finally finding Nightwing typing up a report about a mission they'd completed the previous night in his office. He knocked on the doorframe and said, "Hey, what're you doing?"

"Reports, what does it look like?" Nightwing chuckled. "You wanna take over for a bit?"

"Nah, you know all the technical terms I'd probably skip over," said the changeling, closing the door behind him. He looked back at his team leader and opened his mouth to proceed but paused. And that's when it hit him. Only a few hours before he'd seen this man crushed over the fact that his wife wasn't pregnant. He'd forgotten all of this he'd been so stunned by his own baby news. Now that he'd come to his senses he realized why Raven was so uncomfortable about reveal the news to him and Kori.

"Did you want something?" asked Nightwing after a few moments of odd silence.

"Huh? Oh right, um, I've sorta got some news for you," said Beast Boy.

"Oh yeah? Did they renew Galactic Chimp for a new season?" Nightwing mused.

"No but I wish," Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "Actually it's about me and Raven."

Nightwing read his friend's face and stood up. "You didn't break up, did you?"

The changeling shook his head. "No, that's not it and you might want to sit back down."

"Why? What's going on?" asked Nightwing, growing concerned.

Beast Boy took in a breath and anxiously scratched the back of his head. "Well we just found out that Raven's… sorta… pregnant."

Though his mask hid his eyes, Beast Boy knew they had widened with shock. Nightwing fell back down into his chair. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy nodded. "We just found out. Vic did a blood test."

He leaned forward and went into quiet thought. "Are you sure Raven's pregnant? Maybe Vic mixed up the results. It might have been Kori's blood he tested!"

"He did a sonogram, too," said Beast Boy. "Raven's definitely the one that's pregnant."

Nightwing seemed to go still for an uncomfortable amount of time. He then stood up and, with a forced smile, held his hand out. "Well congratulations."

The other man took the offered hand and said, "Thanks. But, Dick, I want you to know that we didn't plan on this happening."

Nightwing pressed his lips tightly and shook his head stiffly. "Don't tell me that, Gar. Don't tell me that you weren't even trying or that it was an accident."

"Well I don't know what to say," the changeling shrugged. "I know that this is the last thing you wanna hear today and that it's really hard for you to be happy for us. But we didn't decide to have a baby so that we could make you and Kori feel bad. This is a huge surprise. Hell, it's practically a miracle."

Nightwing huffed and ran a hand through his dark locks. "I'm not unhappy for the two of you, I just… I don't understand why you guys would get the miracle Kori and I have been praying for." He leaned against his desk and sighed. "I never thought you'd be a father before me. Well, that's not true. We all expected you to knock up some girl halfway around the world on one of your missions. Didn't think it'd happen like this, though."

Beast Boy went over and leaned against the wall next to the desk. He hated upsetting any of his friends and seeing Nightwing so crushed pained his heart. Then he remembered a detail that could lighten the team leader's spirits. "You wanna hear something that might cheer you up?" Nightwing shrugged indifferently. "We conceived it in Vic's car."

That certainly got his attention and he looked up with a snap. He tried to fight off a grin but before he knew it he let out a snort, causing the changeling to laugh. "You're kidding."

"Nope," Beast Boy assured him.

"Jesus," Nightwing couldn't help laughing. "Does he know?"

"Found out just now," said Beast Boy. "And, yeah, he's pretty pissed. He wants partial custody of the kid since his car served as a part of its conception. So, if you want my advice, next time Kori gets implanted with embryos have her sit in Vic's car. Did wonders for us."

Nightwing wanted to still be upset but the thought of Raven and Beast Boy fooling around in Vic's prized automobile and getting pregnant there amused him greatly. "I think we'll do that." He calmed down his chuckling and sighed, grabbing his friend and giving him a quick hug as well as a pat on the back. "Congrats, man. I mean it."

"Thanks, dude," Beast Boy smiled. "So… how're you gonna tell Kori?"

"Shit, I don't know," Nightwing groaned. "I am _not_ prepared to deal with whatever meltdown this is going to cause her to have."

"Just cuz Raven and I are having a baby doesn't mean you two won't," said Beast Boy. "What's going on with us and what's going on with you two are completely separate."

"Yeah but that doesn't soften the blow," Nightwing informed him. "It's like the time you wanted to win those tickets to the new theme park upstate and bought a million soda bottles to find the winning cap and Vic ended up winning after buying just one."

"Christ, you must wanna murder me right now," said Beast Boy, remembering how upset that incident had made him even though Cyborg had taken him to the theme park anyway.

"Not exactly, but it does hurt," said Nightwing. "Alright, you go back to your lovely pregnant girlfriend while I try to figure out how to talk to my lovely un-pregnant wife."

"Good luck," said Beast Boy, heading out. "And if you could maybe tell her outside of the tower that'd be great. Raven's dreading having to feel her explosion of emotions."

"We're going out tonight anyway," said Nightwing. "I'll have to make it extra special so that when I tell her she isn't too upset."

"Again, good luck," Beast Boy repeated and exited the room. He headed back towards the infirmary but found Raven coming back from it. "Hey! How're you feeling?"

"Same as I did this morning before I realized you'd knocked me up," she said, wrapping her arm in his. "How did Dick take the news?"

"Pretty good," he smiled. "He was upset at first but I managed to defuse the tension. He's happy for us."

"And what's he going to do about Kori?"

"He's gonna take her out, wine her, dine her, and tell her when she's all loved up."

"Good plan."

"Speaking of, do you mind if I wine and dine you tonight? I think we should celebrate this momentous occasion."

"I'll dine and you can wine."

"And Vic can cry all alone at home, mourning the virginity of his car."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Starfire had taken the news hard, as they all knew she would, and spent the next week sulking around the tower and avoiding Raven at all costs. But after a chance run in with her friend and noticing her now obvious baby bump she couldn't find it in herself to mope for another minute. The glow of pregnancy surrounding Raven instantly filled her with joy. And, oddly enough, it gave her hope that she too would soon be with child.

"I am sorry for my behavior," she said.

"You don't have to apologize," Raven assured her. She'd been relaxing on the couch, ready to nod off, when the alien was suddenly next to her and in a chatty mood. "I honestly thought it was going to be worse. If I were in your position I'd be devastated, too."

"I know this was not a scheduled pregnancy," said Starfire. "Your baby was not conceived with the intent of upsetting Dick and I. He or she was conceived in love."

"No, he or she was conceived in the T-car," Raven corrected her and stood up. "And now he or she wants me to go lie in bed because he or she is growing in double time and my body's struggling to keep up." She headed for the door and reached them just as her boyfriend came through.

"Hey Rave," he said, smiling like a fool and kissing her. "Where're you going? Do you need anything?"

"I'm just going to my room to relax with a book," she said. It seemed like every time he saw her he asked if there was anything she needed. She guessed it was his way of trying to take care of her. She didn't like accepting his help but knew it made him happy. And she was starting to get tired of doing everything for herself. Actually she was just tired in general. "What about you?"

"Vic's forcing me to go clean the T-car… again," he rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to see what you were doing before I headed down to the garage."

"I wish I could help," she said, though happy she didn't have to. "I had an equal part in ruining that car, after all."

"You're already paying the price for our little adventure," he smirked, feeling the swell below her navel. "Now rest and focus on growing that itty bitty body in your belly."

"I'll do my best," she said, unable to keep herself from smiling. He went to kiss her again when the alarm sounded. She felt her heart jump and her nerves spark, but she focused and reminded herself that it wasn't meant for her.

"Damn," he grumbled. "Oh well, guess this means I get to put off cleaning the T-car a little longer."

The team was soon assembled, Raven chose to stay behind to know what was going on, and the information acquired. It seemed that the crime rate was decreasing now that the thrill of the Titans being back together had died down. The team was happy they only had to go off on missions twice a week rather than five times a week; and even then they usually only sent two or three of them off to take care of it. Very rarely were all five (now four) needed.

"What do we got this time?" asked Cyborg.

"Looks like Johnny Rancid's back in town," Nightwing sighed. "And he's taken hostages at the custom bike shop. Shit, I hate it when he's around."

"Let us hurry before he harms the poor people he is keeping captive," said Starfire. "I shall fly ahead!" And with that she was off.

"Alright, hold the fort down for us while we're out," said Beast Boy, turning to Raven and kissing her. "Be back in a few." He went to leave but felt his arm being yanked backwards. He turned and saw that though she was facing away from him she'd grabbed his wrist and was holding it tightly. "Uh… Rave? Come on, I gotta go." She tightened the grip on his wrist.

Her heart was in her throat and she felt nauseas, as she had the day of her fateful panic attack that had caused her to 'retire'. But it was no longer her own safety that was causing this severe anxiety; it was his. This was the first time since she'd found out she was pregnant that he'd be going out to fight a dangerous villain. And she felt frightened.

"Rave, I have to go," he stressed, confused. "There are lives at stake here."

She pressed her lips and did her best to keep herself composed. She finally took a breath and released his arm. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Hey, I'll be back in no time," he assured her with a grin. She nodded but didn't look comforted. He hated leaving her looking so unnerved, so… scared. "Raven? You okay?"

She saw the concern in his eyes and realized she was starting to upset him. She shook away her uncomfortable appearance and did her best to seem composed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Go do what you have to do. Don't mind me I'm just being… pregnant."

He gave her a sympathetic look and kissed her head. "Why don't you have some tea and go rest?"

"Alright," she said, giving him one last hug and pushing him towards the door. She watched him leave then all but collapsed where she stood. How was she going to be able to deal with this every time he went off to fight crime? He wasn't just her friend or her boyfriend anymore; he was the father of her unborn child.

The team arrived outside of the bike shop where police cruisers were gathered. Law enforcement was trying to talk Johnny down but it wasn't working, as was evident since they'd had to call in the Titans for help. A crowd had gathered as well and Starfire made it her business to shoo them away, lest they be involved and harmed.

"What happened?" Nightwing asked the sergeant.

"He ordered a custom bike and refused to pay," said the sergeant. "The owner locked the shop and insisted he pay in full, obviously not knowing that this was Rancid. When the bastard pulled out a gun the owner realized he hadn't just locked the doors, he'd sent the whole building into lockdown. So he hit the silent alarm and we showed up. Now Rancid's more pissed than ever and has taken the owner and two other employees hostage."

"Great," Cyborg sighed.

"He's demanding the doors be unlocked and he get to ride out of here with his new bike," said the sergeant. "And he's not in the mood to negotiate."

"Then I guess it's time we ended this before it gets worse," said Nightwing. "Vic, override the building's lockdown protocol. Gar, get in there and cause a distraction. Kori, get the hostages out. I'm gonna take down Rancid. Go!"

Cyborg quickly began to hack into the building's security program while Starfire and Nightwing hid and waited for Beast Boy to get Johnny's attention. The changeling slipped in unseen in the form of a flea then shifted into a mosquito in order to fly close to the villain. He was about to change into a rhinoceros behind him… but paused. He had a sudden realization. What if he got shot? What if something went wrong and he was killed? When he appeared he would definitely be the first target Johnny would want to shoot at. What would Raven do? What about the baby? No wonder she had looked so afraid when he was heading out the door.

He looked outside quickly and spotted Nightwing and Starfire getting anxious and obviously wondering what was taking him so long. He had no choice but to put his fears aside and get on with the mission. He changed into his rhino form and butted Rancid in the back with his horn, startling everyone in the room. The villain stumbled forward and the hostages jumped away out of instinct. The owner fled towards the back to the backdoor which, thanks to Cyborg, was finally unlocked. Nightwing and Starfire burst in through the windows and parted ways. Starfire grabbed the other two employees and flew them out of the shop and to safety. Nightwing attacked the still stunned criminal and easily unarmed him. There was a bit of scuffle but Beast Boy quickly joined in and the villain was apprehended. They brought him out to the police and as the crowd cheered was shoved into the back of a cruiser.

"Thank God that's done," Beast Boy breathed, hunched over and resting on his knees.

"What the hell happened?" asked Nightwing, dabbing some sweat from the back of his neck. "You get lost on the way in?"

"Just lost in thought," Beast Boy admitted. "Um, Dick, we've gotta talk."

Raven sat in a nest she'd made herself in her bed. She hoped it would ease her anxiety but no amount of blankets could cure the sour in her stomach. She knew she could be watching the mission go down on the television but decided she didn't want to know any of the details; she already knew enough. She was incredibly hungry, the small being within her demanded nutrients, but she couldn't manage to eat in her current state. Her nerves were going to turn her hair gray by the time she gave birth.

Her door opened, surprising her out of some terrible thoughts, and her boyfriend walked inside. She was so relieved she let herself fall backwards onto her bed. "Thank Azar."

"Told you I'd be back," he said walking over to her. He climbed onto the bed and leaned over to kiss her.

She did her best to not look as happy as she was that he'd come home, she wanted to retain some dignity. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to survive the next few months. My body can't take this."

"I know," he said. "But you don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm done."

"Done?"

"Yup. Told Nightwing I'm hanging up my suit."

That shocked her and she quickly sat back up. "You're… quitting the team?"

"No, I'm retiring. Same as you."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not? You did."

"Because I couldn't physically make myself go and I'm pregnant. You're in the prime of your life."

"And that's why I'm calling it quits now before I end up dead or you end up dead from worrying about me."

"Dick couldn't have accepted this. They need you!"

"Not really. I mean, he takes care of the city on his own most of the time. Us being here is really about having fun and spending time together. He told me that himself. So it's all fine."

"What if another 3-49 comes up?"

"Dick's on it. He said there are a few other people who may be able to handle them, they just need some specific training. I always got sent in cuz I'm the best. But I'm done and it's someone else's turn to be the best now."

"This is ridiculous, you can't just retire now that you're having a child!"

"Why are you mad about this? I thought you'd be happy!"

"I am happy but… I'm not." She groaned and grabbed her head. "I'm not sure what to think."

"What's bad about me not putting my life on the line anymore?"

"Nothing it's just… retiring is a big deal. And I don't want you to someday blame me for taking you out of the superhero business when you were at your best because I got pregnant."

"You think I'm gonna resent you for this?"

"I don't know, maybe! I don't want you in harm's way but I don't want you sitting around either. You're good at what you do and lives could be lost if you're not doing your job. And I don't want that on my conscience."

He sighed, rubbing his face. "Raven, this was _my_ decision. You had nothing to do with it."

"I do have something to do with it. You probably wouldn't even think about retiring if I hadn't freaked out today. Not to mention the fact that _I'm_ the one carrying your child."

"For your information, I had always planned on retiring once I had kids. I know what it's like to lose my parents and I will do everything in my power to make sure my children don't go through what I did."

"Then why did you go out there today? Why didn't you turn in your suit the day we found out I was pregnant?"

"I don't know, cuz I'm still in shock or something! Jesus, Raven, it's only been a week. And as happy as I am I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're having a baby. So when the alarm sounded I answered it, cuz that's what I'm used to doing. Trust me, it hit me pretty hard when I was about to head butt Rancid that I probably shouldn't have been there."

"So now what're you going to do? Play videogames and screw around all day?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do but I'm not gonna screw around! God, why are you so pissed off about this?"

"I'm not pissed off! I'm just trying to figure out what's going on in your head right now. How could you make that sort of decision without even talking to me?"

"I didn't think it was any of your business!"

"None of my business? We're in a relationship, Garfield! Retiring from being a superhero is a major decision that you should have spoken to me about. See, this is why people shouldn't get pregnant a month into a relationship."

"You're blowing this out of proportion!"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are! Do you want me to go out there and get killed? Is that what you want?"

"Of course not! I just want you to talk to me."

"I do talk to you! I'm sorry I did this without consulting you, okay? Lesson learned. I'll never do anything without your permission again."

"Now you're just being an ass."

"Yeah we'll you're…" He clenched his jaw and puffed through his nose with a growl of frustration. He wanted to raise his voice and really get a fight going, his blood was just about boiling. But he stopped himself. He took in a stiff breath and stood up. "Obviously we're not gonna agree on this right now so I'm gonna go before something bad happens."

"Fine," she snapped crankily. "I don't want to talk to you right now anyway."

"Ditto," he said and headed out. But, after a moment of thought, he paused at the door and sighed. "Do you want anything?"

"A grilled ham and cheese and a chocolate milk," she said, burrowing into her blankets.

He silently nodded, his jaw still tight, and headed out. Even if he was annoyed by her attitude he still knew the baby came first and that meant taking care of her no matter the circumstance. But he didn't have to be happy about it.

He headed to the kitchen and began to make her her order, grumbling about how he had to use meat. His friends could see how tense he was and wondered what could have happened. It didn't take much more than Starfire asking if he was troubled for him to start ranting. And he spared them no detail.

"Gar, man, I've got one word for you," said Cyborg. "Hormones."

"Hormones made her nuts?" Beast Boy fumed.

"Basically," Cyborg shrugged. "Something that might slightly concern her can get blown up into a full meltdown with the hormones she's got flowing through her body right now. You can't blame her."

"And as for the whole retirement thing she does have a point," said Nightwing. "You should have at least mentioned it before coming straight to me."

"No shit, I learned that the hard way," Beast Boy sighed. "How was I supposed to know? I've never been in a relationship that was this serious before."

"Now it is time for me to give you the one word," said Starfire. "Communication. Speak with Raven no matter the circumstance and it will keep your bond healthy."

"What do I do if she bites my head off when I try to talk to her?" Beast Boy grumbled and plated two sandwiches. He poured a glass of chocolate milk and headed back towards her dreaded room while his friends wished him luck. He arrived and knocked, something he hadn't done in a while. "Got your food." She didn't respond. "Raven, food." She still didn't answer. He sighed and moved the door aside. He looked in and saw nothing but a large mound of blankets on her bed. He cautiously crept over to it and lifted one of the comforters. There he found her, sniffling and teary eyed. His anger washed away instantly.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling ashamed. "I overreacted. I shouldn't have said… most of what I said. I'm just overwhelmed and scared and… too much is changing at once. I can't handle all of this. And I'm not used to not being in control of myself." Her stomach growled painfully and she winced.

He sighed and sat down next to her, handing her the plate. "You need to eat." She nodded and took the food, quickly devouring a sandwich. "And it's okay. You didn't overreact. Well, you did, but not much. I should have said something to you before I decided to hang up my suit. And you're right. We do need to talk more. So," he lifted the comforter and crawled under it to bring it around the two of them, "let's start now. How've you been doing, Rave?"

She took a long sip of chocolate milk then said, "I don't even know where to start."

"Overwhelmed, scared, not in control," he listed off. "I feel the same so we can start there."

She sniffed and smiled softly. "I love it when you listen."

"I'd do anything for you," he said, kissing her temple.

"Anything?"

"Hey, I cooked meat for you didn't I?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

She awoke with a start and began to whimper and hiss with pain. A terrible cramp had taken hold of her left leg and had no intention of letting it go. She did her best to straighten the limb and flex her toes, something she'd learned to do from one of the three pregnancy books she was reading simultaneously, but it wasn't working quick enough. Finally she gathered her sleepy mind and used her powers to relax the muscle. Once the pain was gone she collapsed back onto her bed with an annoyed groan. She looked next to her, worried she'd woken her boyfriend up, but was surprised to see that she was alone. She retraced her memory and was certain he'd gone to bed with her. Where could he be?

It seemed she'd gotten very acquainted with the dark halls of the night recently. She was always awake with a cramp or indigestion or hunger or insomnia at some ungodly hour. She made it to the common room and was startled by light burning into her eyes. Someone was already in there.

Beast Boy was on the edge of the couch, hunched over and seeming to be concentrating. She carefully tiptoed over to him and saw that his brow was furrowed and his hands were clasped below his chin. Before him was a small screen with the image of a live video feed. She wasn't sure what part of the world he was watching but it was somewhere it was already morning.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He jumped and his hair stood on end; she'd really caught him off guard. "Holy shit you scared me."

"Sorry," she said, suppressing a laugh.

"What are you doing up?" he asked, looking back at the screen.

"I had a leg cramp," she said, sitting next to him. "So what's this all about?"

He groaned tiredly and stretched his back for a moment. "I was called for a mission in Saskatchewan but it got referred over to Garth. I'm just observing."

"Why?"

"Cuz I wanna make sure everything goes alright."

"You're just mad it was given to Garth."

"No! This was supposed to be my mission and I wanna make sure everything goes alright. If not then I'm gonna feel like it's my fault."

She sighed and stood up. "Is this how it's going to be from now on? You're going to feel guilty every time a mission doesn't go according to plan?"

"No, of course not."

"If you want to go then go. I'm not going to stop you."

"Oh don't be like that. I only just retired, Rave, it's gonna take me a while to get all of this crime fighting out of my system. This has been my life for nearly two decades. Ever since I can remember I've been fighting evil and risking my skin. Just stopping cold turkey is hard. Didn't you have trouble just quitting it altogether?"

"No, it was a relief. Besides, I knew the rest of you were out there working hard and protecting the world so I didn't have a need to worry."

"Well I can't just change my way of thinking that easily."

She thought for a moment. She was inclined to tell him that she knew this would happen and that soon he'd be resenting her for having to retire at such a young age. But she caught herself before having a fit, damn these hormones, and thought more logically. Of course it would be hard for him to not be a superhero after living his life as one for so long. She shouldn't get mad at him or accuse him or jump to conclusions because of this. "Well as long as you're not charging off into battle, you do whatever you need to do to get your head out of mission mode. Even if it means sitting up at four in the morning watching an assignment instead of sleeping in bed with me."

He eyed her cautiously. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she said, kissing the top of his head and going to leave. "My bed's open to you when you're ready to turn in. I guess I'll just sit up and read for a bit."

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" he asked.

"I'm too awake now," she replied then had a wicked idea. "Pity. With both of us awake it's a shame we can't fool around. I'm actually a little in the mood to do something. And with everyone else asleep we don't have to worry about being interrupted. Oh well. Enjoy your observation of Garth in Saskatchewan."

She listened as he grumbled and groaned and shifted uncomfortable on the couch then roughly turned off the screen. "Alright, damn it! You win."

"Oh no, don't stop on my account."

"We'll I've gotta stop now! Like I'm gonna turn down an offer to fool around with you."

"No, no, you continue peeping on Garth's mission."

He growled and caught up to her, backing her up against the hall wall. "This whole 'tease, flirt, tease, flirt' thing is getting _really_ old."

She simply smiled at him coyly. "I don't know what you're talking about." That caused his eyes to narrow and his lips to curve hungrily. She loved that she had the ability to rile him up like this. It was a power she'd never known she had and it made her actually feel attractive. And at the moment it was quite useful, seeing as she wanted nothing more than for him to devour her. Damn these hormones were powerful!

In an instant he had captured her lips and consumed her breath. It was amazing how easily they'd gotten to know each other's bodies. Granted, it was different now that she was pregnant and her stomach was swelling larger by the day, but still they knew how to move with each other. He lightly bit her bottom lip as he released the kiss then began to peck down her chin and neck as his hands moved up under her shirt. She raised her arms instinctively so that he could lift the shirt over her head and wondered if he would take her right there in the hallway.

"For Christ's sake, are you two ever not on top of each other?!"

She gave a slight startled yelp and he jumped in front of her protectively. There in the darkness stood a very grumpy Cyborg. He looked as though he hadn't charged at all since going to bed, his good eye looking drawn and his cyber optic eye barely alight. At first the couple were relieved and then just as annoyed as their friend seemed to be.

"What the hell are you doing up?" Beast Boy snapped while she fixed her shirt behind him. "It's not even four!"

"And that's a good time to make out in the hallway?" Cyborg snapped back.

"Well we didn't expect anyone to catch us," said Raven, coming out from behind her lover and doing her best not to look embarrassed. "We don't normally display such immense affection in public or didn't you know that by now?"

"Whatever," Cyborg said crankily. "I'm so over the two of you it's not even funny. If I were doing this shit with Sarah you'd be all over me about it and you know it." And with that he moved past them and went into the common room.

"Jeez, what crawled up his cyber butt?" asked Beast Boy.

"Well it's obvious," she said, walking down the hall to put some distance between her and the common room. Cyborg's emotions were very strong at the moment and were doing their best to corrupt her good mood. "He misses Sarah."

"You think that's why he's up this late? Or early?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly sure why he's up right now but it must have something to do with her. After all, it's almost seven in the morning on the east coast. He might want to talk to her before she heads in to work. And seeing us getting to be close is just rubbing salt in the wound for him."

"Not like we were doing it on purpose."

"No but he's right. If you and I were separated and either of us had to watch him and Sarah together we'd grow tired and jealous of it eventually."

"Aw, you'd miss me if I were away from you?"

"Eventually."

"I think that's the closest I've ever gotten to an 'I love you'."

"Oh be quiet before my mood changes. You'll be lucky if I even want to cuddle with you by the time we get to my room."

"Well I didn't give up watching the human fish for nothing!" He grabbed her hand and quickly led her towards her bedroom. God only knew when her hormones would shift again.

* * *

Nothing was on television but that didn't stop Cyborg from parking himself in front of it all day. He was feeling a bit depressed and wanted to take his mind off of his misery. He missed Sarah desperately but didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even to her. In the tower he was stuck with the married couple and the couple expecting a baby. He felt like a fifth wheel and it was something he was not used to and something he did not like.

His friends looked in on him and shook their heads.

"That is one unhappy robot," said Beast Boy.

"I don't even think another Hamburger Night would do him any good," said Nightwing.

"Oh, I do not like to see our friend in such a state," said Starfire.

"Well let's think of something to get him out of this funk," said Beast Boy.

"The only thing that's going to make him feel better is Sarah," said Nightwing.

"Then let us bring her here!" said Starfire. "Surely she would not object to making him feel better."

"She can't just drop what she's doing and come out here," said Nightwing. "Unlike us, she's got a 9-5 job."

"Well let's try," said Beast Boy. "Maybe we can fly her out here this weekend or something. I don't know about you guys but I can't live like this for much longer and neither can Raven. She's got enough to deal with keeping her emotions in line with her fluctuating hormones but with Vic's depression on top of it she's struggling to keep herself level. And that's saying something considering how much control she's gained over the years."

"Alright, I'll call Sarah and see if we can arrange something," said Nightwing.

"Perhaps I should do the calling instead," said Starfire. "I am more at ease with conversing with her over the telephone."

"Yeah, you might sound like you're ordering her to come over here," said Beast Boy. "And we know she's not gonna be told what to do."

"Alright, fine, one of you call her," said Nightwing.

"I shall do it right away," said Starfire, flying off.

"I'm gonna go take a nap," Beast Boy yawned. "I got no sleep last night."

"Yeah, it must be tough being retired," Nightwing smirked.

"As a matter of fact, I was up until half past three this morning watching Garth do that Saskatchewan job," Beast Boy informed him.

"How'd he do?" asked Nightwing curiously.

"Well… I honestly don't know," Beast Boy admitted with a laugh. "Raven found me and convinced me to do something else with my time. Hence why I really didn't get any sleep."

"Ah, I guess that would explain why Raven hasn't been seen much today," said Nightwing a little uncomfortably.

The changeling headed towards his girlfriend's room and found her not napping but reading instead. He happily jumped into her bed and burrowed under the covers. He snuggled up next to her and began to purr, showing how happy he was to be back in bed with her.

"So what's going on outside of my chamber?" she asked, ignoring his attempt at being cute. "I know Victor's still in a slump."

"Don't worry, it's being taken care of as we lie here," he said.

"How so?"

"Kori's on a secret mission to get Sarah here."

"It's obviously not very secret if you know and you're telling me."

"Well it's a secret from Vic, obviously. We're gonna try to get her here to surprise him."

"That's a good idea but it'll be hard to sneak her here without him knowing. If one of us went to pick her up he'd notice someone was gone for a few hours and if she comes by commercial jet one of us would have to go pick her up at the airport and I doubt he'd just lend his car to any of us after what we did in it."

"Well aren't you Miss Optimistic."

"I'm just saying that it might be best if I handled this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll open a portal and bring her here myself. It'll take a bit of effort but it's much simpler than any other plan. And it'll assure her arrival as being a surprise."

"No way, not happening. You're supposed to be taking it easy and performing a complex spell is not taking it easy."

"It's not a complex spell, I've done it plenty of times. If I can travel through dimensions I can certainly travel across the country."

"Well I don't want you to do it while you're in a delicate condition."

She blinked then gave a good laugh. "A delicate condition? Where did you pick that term up?"

"Kori said it!" he blushed. "And it's better than saying I don't want you to do this cuz you're knocked up. Look, I appreciate that you wanna help us pull this off but you're not gonna do it at the expense of your health or the health of our child."

"Nothing's going to happen to us. It's a bit of powder, a few special words, and a release of energy. If there were to be a side effect it would be that I'd be a little more fatigued than usual. It would keep me in bed for a day or two, which is what you seem to want anyway. So let me do this and then everyone can have what they want."

He thought then groaned. There would be no winning this discussion without a fight and he didn't want to argue with her. Maybe he was being over protective. "Fine, I'll tell Kori."

* * *

Cyborg let out a long sigh and changed the channel yet again. Suddenly a blindfold was over his eyes. He didn't even flinch. He just changed the channel again. "I'm not in the mood."

"If you were in the mood I wouldn't be doing this," said Beast Boy. "Come on, get up. I've got a surprise for you!"

"What? Raven's gonna give birth in my car?" Cyborg grumbled.

"Come on, you old storm cloud," Beast Boy chuckled. "I promise you'll like it."

"That's what you said about tofu stir fry," said Cyborg, begrudgingly standing up and letting his friend led him. "You do realize that even with my eyes covered I'll know exactly where we're going, right?"

"Oh just play along," said Beast Boy. "You're gonna thank me."

Cyborg sighed and let himself be taken around the tower without another word. He had no idea what his friend was going to surprise him with. He'd be happy if his car got cleaned again. Ever since finding out what Beast Boy and Raven had done in it he just couldn't look at it the same way again. He knew he was going to have to take it apart and rebuild it in order for him to feel comfortable again. He was going to get on that as soon as he was feeling better. And who knew what then would be.

Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. Spin around. Left. Right. Right. Left. Right. Cyborg was actually confused for a moment. Had he just been taken in a circle? "Did you just take me in a circle?"

"Circle? Dude, circles don't have corners!" Beast Boy laughed.

"I mean did you take me back to the common room?" Cyborg huffed.

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"No."

"Then why ask?"

He heard the common room doors open and his thoughts were confirmed. He was moved back inside the room he was taken from less than two minutes before and walked a ways in. He could hear that there were a few other people in the room now and he feared some sort of party was planned to cheer him up. He dreaded the thought and swore vengeance an all of them if this was true. The blindfold was removed.

"Surprise!"

There before him stood the woman he had been missing and loved so dearly. She was grinning from ear to ear and gave him a cute little wave of hello. His mood was instantly lifted and he shouted with confused delight, "What?! Where did you come from?" He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and twirled her around, causing her to scream.

"They kidnapped me," she laughed.

"We couldn't stand the sight of you moping around anymore," Nightwing smiled.

"How the hell did you get here without me knowing?" asked Cyborg, still in shock.

"Gar came and got me, courtesy of a portal created by Raven," said Sarah.

"She's now on bed rest for the next two days so you better make this visit together count," said Beast Boy, who was still not pleased about the creation of the portal.

"You guys are the best," said Cyborg, very happy. "This is so much better than another Hamburger Night."

"Hamburger Night?" asked Sarah.

"Don't ask," Nightwing informed her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

She was locked away in her bedroom with the goal of doing something that was long overdue: compiling a list of everything they needed to do and get. At only ten weeks she looked five months pregnant and though they were already halfway through the pregnancy there was still a lot to get done: they had to find a pediatrician, an obstetrician to deliver the baby, order infant furniture and supplies, and find their own place. The last point was a matter of much discussion that had led to a minor argument. He wanted to stay while she insisted they couldn't. He didn't think they could find a place before the due date that they both liked and he didn't want to move after the baby was born, not liking the idea of moving with an infant. She pointed out that the tower was Nightwing and Starfire's home now and it wouldn't be fair of them to settle down and overstay their welcome. And she added that it didn't need to be forever, just until they were adjusted. In the end he saw her points and agreed that they should find a home of their own.

She heard a knock and looked at the time. It had been an hour since she'd locked herself away. "Come in." She didn't need to ask who it was.

He slid the door aside and was soon crawling onto the bed to lie next to her. "S'up?"

"I finished the list," she said with fatigue. "We've got a lot to go over."

"Come on, it can't be that bad."

"You realize we have multiple life decisions to make in only a few weeks, right?" She grabbed the pad of paper she'd made the list on and handed it to him. "Here, look it over."

"Oh God, I've been dreading this," he winced, taking it. He read it slowly and only made a noise similar to being sucker punched in the gut. "Hello adulthood."

"Goodbye personal comfort," she sighed.

"Looks like our lives officially revolve around the baby now."

"And we're going to have to compromise on that as well. There's going to be a number of things we're going to disagree on when it comes to what's best for him or her." She suddenly gave a slight jump. "Speaking of, our little demon beast is moving again."

"Maybe I can finally feel it this time," he said, quickly putting his hand on her stomach. Every time the baby moved he'd never managed to feel it. But he was determined. She positioned his hand where she was sure she'd feel it and waited. And just when he was sure he'd missed yet another chance he felt something beneath her skin move.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His heart raced uncomfortably. The room seemed to be closing in. A sudden awareness of reality enveloped him.

The change in his emotions made her feel faint it was so sudden. "Are you okay?"

He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah," his voice cracked. "It's just, um, I finally felt it. That's… really cool."

"You wouldn't think so if it were inside of you," she said with a small smirk, hoping to heal his fluctuating emotions. "But I'm glad you finally felt it."

"Yeah, me too," he said, giving her a quick forced smile. He cleared his throat and crawled off the bed. "Do you need anything? I'm gonna go to bathroom."

"No, I'm fine," she said, looking at him strangely. Something wasn't right.

"Okay I'll, uh, I'll be back," he said and headed out. Once he got into the hallway he all but sprinted to his room. He'd broken out in a cold sweat and he found it difficult to breathe. He dove inside his room and found it hard to find his footing his mind was racing so dizzyingly.

He'd felt the baby move. And in feeling that slight movement he made the sudden realization that this was real, this was happening. They were going to have a baby. A real actual baby. A new person was going to be brought into the world. A person who was going to live and learn and feel and grow. He was going to be a father for the rest of his life. From then on someone was always going to look up to him, expect him to take care of them, protect them. And this wasn't for a few weeks or months; this was for life. None of this had actually settled into his mind until this moment, until he'd felt his child move within Raven's womb.

He paced his floor, trying to shake off the shock that had taken him in a vice-like grip. It was a sobering moment to be sure. He'd always wanted to have kids but he'd never actually taken the time to imagine himself as a father. The father figure was something allusive and confusing to him. He had very sparse memories of his own father and though Mento had raised him and he did consider him a father he never truly looked at him that way. And now he was two and a half months away from holding a title he never imagined wearing. And he was scared.

Admitting he was afraid made him suddenly aware that Raven was probably sensing everything he was feeling right now. That only made him panic all the more. He didn't want her to know he was freaking out, he didn't want her to experience these disagreeable emotions. So he opened his window and took flight, putting as much distance between himself and the tower as possible. He needed to think. He needed to breathe.

Raven had had a bad feeling. The spike in Beast Boy's anxiety was transparently clear. He hadn't left to get a drink, he'd made a run for it. She wasn't sure where to but he was definitely on the run. She had focused and zoned in on his emotional signature, following him to his room where he had spent nearly a minute inflating his emotions to a critical level. Then, in an instant, he was out of the tower and soon out of her range.

She couldn't believe what she'd just empathically witnessed. Had he just had a panic attack? And was it because of the baby? A sudden uncomfortable feeling settled into her stomach. But she shook it away. He just needed time to compose himself, she told the nagging voice in her head. And she repeated this again and again… for three hours.

By dinner time he still hadn't come home and she was forced to inform her friends. She refused to get upset or worried. He'd be back. It just wouldn't be until he was ready. She sat down at the table, which was prepared with a fine spaghetti dinner, and announced, "Garfield won't be joining us."

"Why not?" asked Nightwing. "Is he alright?"

"He had a bit of a panic attack earlier and ran off," she said. "I don't know when he'll be back but I'm assuming he will be. And if he doesn't… well I'll just have to deal with that when the time comes."

"Whoa, hold on," said Cyborg. "Gar had a panic attack?"

She nodded. "I think feeling the baby move rattled him. He probably realized I wasn't just getting fat and that this baby is really going to be here soon."

"I am sure he will return," Starfire said with a comforting smile.

"I hope so," said Raven, picking up a large meatball for herself. "I'm trying to keep myself calm but it's getting harder with every hour."

"He didn't say where he was going?" asked Nightwing.

"He said he would be back after a trip to the bathroom and never returned," said Raven.

"Have you tried calling him?" asked Nightwing.

"Why bother? He doesn't want me to know he's going through something and I'm not going to chase after him," she sighed. "He'll be back. He just needs time." She felt her emotions spike and an uncomfortable feeling in the back of her throat. But she wouldn't give in. She swallowed it back down into her stomach. "He'll be back."

Cyborg groaned and stood up. "I'll go find him."

"I'm going too," said Nightwing, following after him.

"Shall I help you retrieve friend Garfield?" asked Starfire.

"No, I think this is gonna be a guy thing," said Cyborg. "Try to save us some dinner."

"No promises," said Raven, sliding the contents of Cyborg's plate onto her own. She was eating for three; herself, the baby, and her nerves.

The men quickly headed off to find their missing friend while Starfire did her best to make Raven feel better. "Do not worry. I am sure they will find Garfield."

"If they do I don't want them to force him to come home," said Raven, buttering some bread she desperately needed at the moment. "Even if it's not for days, I want him to come back because he's ready. Because he wants to."

"And… if he does not?" asked Starfire.

Raven forced her bite of bread down and felt tears roll down her cheeks against her will. As much as she didn't want to entertain the thought, there was a chance that he wasn't coming back. That this was all too much for him. That he wasn't ready for the responsibilities, that he didn't want them. He had spent the last few years joyfully traveling the globe having grand adventures while being a well-loved hero. Why would he want to settle himself down into a sedentary life after a surprise pregnancy? Now that she thought about it she was surprised he hadn't made a run for it sooner.

Cyborg and Nightwing scoured the city looking for the missing changeling who'd left his communicator at home. Both were beginning to grow frustrated and had a few choice words to share with their friend once they found him. They discovered him quite by chance, walking out of a fast food joint with a soft drink. They were walking by and it took them a moment to realize who they'd passed. After doing a double take they quickly grabbed him.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Nightwing, quite cross at the length of time it had taken them to find him. "Raven said you disappeared hours ago."

"Yeah I kinda did," Beast Boy admitted, scratching his ear. "Is she freaking out?"

"She's doing her best to keep calm and act as though she's fine with you running off but who knows how long that'll last," said Cyborg. "So you wanna tell us what happened?"

"I was just getting my head together, that's all," said Beast Boy. "I was gonna come back… eventually."

"Come on, we need to chat," said Nightwing, clapping his hand on his friend's shoulder.

They went to their favorite pizza shop, Cyborg was beyond hungry, and sat down to talk. Nightwing made a quick call home to inform the women that the changeling had been found and Starfire updated him on Raven's condition, which wasn't good.

"So let's hear it," said Cyborg.

"Well… you ever have one of those moments when reality suddenly slaps you in the face?" said Beast Boy. "Well I had one of those today, big time, when I felt the baby move. And… it freaked me out, guys. I mean really, it freaked me the fuck out."

"Yeah, it's a lot to wrap your head around," Nightwing nodded, able to relate as he'd been thinking along the same lines since deciding to have a baby with his wife.

"So you ran away?" asked Cyborg.

"I didn't run away, I just went out for a bit," said Beast Boy. "I needed some fresh air and to get away from Raven. She probably felt me about to go off the deep end and I didn't want her to worry about me. She doesn't need my panicking emotions on top of her own."

"Well your leaving didn't really spare her feelings," said Nightwing. "Kori said she's crying as we speak."

"Shit," Beast Boy groaned. "I didn't wanna get her involved in this."

"So you've just been wandering around getting your head together for the last few hours?" asked Cyborg.

"Oh no, I calmed down after thirty minutes," said Beast Boy. "You'd be amazed what a little flying can do for your psyche."

"Then what the hell have you been doing?" asked Nightwing.

Beast Boy held up a piece of paper with many items listed on it. "Taking care of this."

Raven had polished off the pot of spaghetti and meatballs and was now sitting on the couch with indigestion and raw eyes. She was angrier with herself than her missing boyfriend due to her behavior. She'd never have allowed herself to get to such a state in the past. But she couldn't hold herself solely responsible for her tears. She was logical enough to know that a large part of this was due to her hormones. But that didn't mean she didn't feel mortified as she sat there, crying with pasta sauce stained on her cheeks.

Starfire kindly offered her a washcloth. "Have your tears done the drying?"

"For now," Raven sniffed, shamefully accepting the cloth and cleaning her tears and dinner remnants away. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

"Please do not apologize," said Starfire. "I have learned that human females are severely emotional when pregnant. And your beloved has left you out of fear. You are quite justified in having the break down."

"Even if that's true it doesn't make me feel better," Raven said plainly.

The common room doors opened and in walked the three men. Upon seeing the changeling Starfire's eyes burned green and she shot straight at him. Beast Boy quickly dove behind Nightwing for protection while Cyborg jumped out of the way.

"You are in the trouble!" Starfire scolded.

"Whoa, easy!" said Nightwing. "Everything's alright."

"It is not alright," Starfire still frowned. "Raven has done the crying and the overeating because of Garfield's disappearance. And this is something I cannot forgive easily."

"Kori stop," Raven insisted, standing up and sniffing. "It's fine, I'm fine."

Starfire didn't want to relax her fury but also couldn't ignore Raven's plea. It wasn't her right to punish Beast Boy or to lecture him. She allowed her eyes to fade but still gave Beast Boy a dirty look. "Then I will allow you to do the mending of your relationship. But I will gladly do the kicking of the butt if it is asked of me." And with that she flew off.

"Good luck," Cyborg said to the shape shifter as he and Nightwing followed after her.

Beast Boy nodded and looked over at the woman with red and lavender eyes. He felt terrible, guilty, unworthy of her emotional outburst. He practically leapt the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. "Shit, Raven, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," she said, holding and breathing him in. She was embarrassed by how relieved she felt. "I knew you'd come back. Unfortunately my hormones disagreed."

He moved back and got a good look at her tear stained cheeks. "Then you're alright?"

"It may not look like it but I am," she assured him. "Though my stomach doesn't feel very good. I ate enough food to feed five people waiting for you to come back."

"Again, _so_ sorry," he winced, hating what he'd put her through. "I was just having a…"

"Panic attack?" she offered. "Yes, I know. I felt everything from the moment the baby moved beneath your hand. And I knew you needed some time to think. And I was willing to give you that, as much time as you needed. Admittedly, my inner fears and insecurities got the better of me. I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't come back."

"You're right, I'm in a real shitty situation," he rolled his eyes. "I've got a fantastic woman who loves me, my first child on the way, and an excuse to stop risking my ass every damn day. Let me just grab my shit and run for the hills."

"If you're so happy then why did it take you so long to come back?"

"Cuz I was busy making a dent in this." He took a piece of paper from his pocket.

She hadn't realized he'd never given the list back to her and saw that numerous things were crossed off. "You were working on the to-do list?"

"Yup. Talked to a real estate agent to find us our own place, called around and got the names of some highly recommended pediatricians, and ordered all of our baby stuff so that it'll be ready to ship the day we're ready for it. I'm going full mission mode for you and the baby."

"Then… you're not scared?"

"Oh no, I'm terrified. I have no idea how I'm gonna handle having a kid and being a dad. But that's okay. And you know why? Cuz no one's born knowing what to do. I realized that today. I'm not the first guy to be scared and to have doubts. But I know I'm gonna give this everything I've got. You're not getting rid of me that easily, Rave. I know we've only been together a few months but we've known each other for a good portion of our lives. So I'm not scared about us not working out. Cuz we know everything we need to know about each other. And I love everything I know about you, even the stuff that gets on my nerves. And… well I just hope you feel the same way."

She had no idea who he was. This was not the guy who had fled hours before after feeling the baby move. This was a mature, composed adult who accepted his responsibilities. And gladly, at that! How could this be the same green shape shifter she'd grown with? He was a completely new man to her. And she could feel herself falling for him deeper and deeper. She wrapped herself around him and said, "You've hit the nail on the head."

"Well thank Azar for that!" he said with a smile and kissed her.

She sighed happily and relaxed into his arms. "I'm so glad I didn't get involved with you until now. You're an echo of the child you used to be."

"Oh so you only like me now that I'm a completely different person?" he laughed.

"You're not a completely different person. You're definitely Garfield Logan, just the refined, well-aged version. You weren't to my taste when we were younger but now you're definitely in sync with my pallet."

"I'm glad we didn't get together until now, too. You would've handed my ass to me if you knew I liked you back then."

"You liked me?"

"On and off, yeah. When we first met I thought you were cute and then I got to know you and you scared the hell out of me and then I got to know you better and I thought you were really cute and it kinda just kept going on like. I just never seemed to like you at the right time."

"I guess this is the right time."

"Yup. We're finally ready for each other."

"Whether we're ready to have this baby is another story."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

His whistling bounced off the walls as he searched the halls for his friends. Not fighting crime had certainly given him an abundance of time. Not that they were constantly battling criminals, usually there was only one mission a week, but he no longer had to worry about the alarm going off. And without that looming over him he was able to truly relax for the first time in a decade or so. After a few weeks of being retired everyone noted how refreshed he looked.

He heard the gentle hum of music behind a wall and knew he was closing in on someone. And, seeing as they were on the training floor, he figured it must've been someone working out. He found the door holding the music back and moved it aside. What he saw was something he wouldn't forget for many years. Cyborg was leading both Raven and Starfire in aerobics… water aerobics. Yes, the automaton was waist deep in the Titans' moderately sized pool twisting and turning about and giving them happy instructions. Beast Boy did his best not to laugh but the image was just far too delicious.

"What the hell are you doing?" he burst in, cackling.

Cyborg let out a startled yelp, though it was more of a screech he'd never admit to, and turned to see his friend. The girls had seen the changeling enter and had accordingly braced themselves for the reaction. The robot blushed then began to sputter with embarrassed rage.

"Yo, don't come barging in here like that!" he hollered, turning the music off. "This is supposed to be a safe, calm place and you coulda made Raven go into labor sneaking up on me, er, her like that!"

"Not likely," said Raven, wading to the side of the pool to get her bottle of water.

"Would you care to join us, Garfield?" asked Starfire, who hadn't broken a sweat. "We are doing the aerobic exercises that are ideal for pregnant females."

"Well seeing as I'm not a pregnant female I think I'll pass," said Beast Boy, still chuckling. "So, Vic, is this what you're really doing when you're 'cleaning the T-car'?"

"Shut up, I'm doing this for your girlfriend," Cyborg steamed. "You should be thanking me for keeping her and your kid healthy. Considering what you did to my baby I think it's pretty big of me to help your baby out."

"Oh I'm thankful alright," Beast Boy snorted. "My baby mama gets a workout and I get an image that'll live in my memory for years to come? Dude, I'm definitely in your debt."

Cyborg ground his teeth. "Alright, pool time's done!"

"Already?" Starfire pouted.

"Thank Azar," said Raven, levitating out of the water. She was at week sixteen and only had a month to go. She actually looked like she was ready to pop at any moment. "Same time tomorrow?"

"I guess, if you're up for it," Cyborg grumbled and stomped off, still dripping wet.

"Victor wait! I must request the use of your vehicle!" Starfire called and quickly flew after him.

"I'm guessing she's getting implanted again soon," said Beast Boy, remembering his advice to Nightwing that Starfire should be in the T-car in order to conceive.

"Tomorrow," said Raven, throwing her wet towel at him.

"Hey! What was that for," he asked, tossing it back to her.

"That was for calling me your baby mama again," she said with a small smirk and finished drying herself off. "And for teasing him. I asked him to help me with an exercise regimen and, out of the kindness of his heart, he decided to coach me. He knew you'd torture him if you found out and you certainly lived up to his expectations."

"Oh he'll be fine," he brushed her off. "He teases me about tons of stuff. I never get something this juicy. So what're you doing now?"

"I'm going to lie down and read for a bit," he said, stretching her aching back. She winced for a moment and gave a groan, which struck him as odd, then leaned against the wall. "I think I'm done being on my feet today. But first I need to go to the bathroom. Our bundle of joy is playing havoc with my bladder. What about you?"

"Took a short break from packing," he asked, walking with her as she headed out. "You ready for the big move?"

"The only things I haven't packed are the bed sheets, my toothbrush, a change of clothes, and a book," she said. "I think the more important question is are _you_ ready for the big move?"

"I'd start right now if I could," he smiled.

"I'm happy you're so excited, considering how hard you fought to stay here," she chuckled.

"Well moving's a lot of work and I'm lazy by nature," he shrugged. "But now that we actually have a place I'm super pumped up for the move."

"You realize there's not much to do tomorrow," she pointed out. "I can move everything in one quick spell."

"Oh no, I don't want you to do anything like that," he shook his head firmly. "Opening a portal for Sarah is one thing, but I don't want you using your powers to move a hundred things at once."

"I appreciate your concern but I'll be fine," she assured him. "My powers are as controlled as ever and it's been a while since I've gotten to use them."

"You just flew out of the pool!" he said.

"Oh that doesn't count," she brushed him off.

While she went to the bathroom and headed to her room to relax, he continued on with the packing. He felt proud that he'd found their new residence and had taken that burden off of her shoulders. It was a small house, only a one bedroom, on the outskirts of the city. It was in a decent area, secluded enough that they would have privacy, and close enough to the city that their friends could visit whenever they pleased. It wasn't where they were going to stay but it would work for the next year or two. After that… well they were still discussing their future plans.

Nightwing decided to pay the changeling a visit while he worked on packing up the last bits of his room. "Wow, I can't believe this room is actually going to be empty."

"What're you talking about? I didn't really live in it for five years," said Beast Boy as he taped a box labeled 'comix'.

"True but some of your things always remained here for safe keeping," said Nightwing. "This time you're really moving out. How're you feeling about it?"

"Good," Beast Boy said with an honest nod. "You know, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do all this and not freak out but I'm feeling good. I'm happy, dude. I'm actually really happy."

That certainly pleased the team leader. Knowing that his friend was content with his life was a great relief. "That's great, Gar. It's gonna be odd not having you and Raven here, especially when you're a stone's throw away. I hope you're prepared for Kori to be living with you guys once the baby's here."

"Yeah we're kinda gonna deal with that when the time comes," Beast Boy laughed. "We'll probably be glad to have her around for a night or two to help us get some rest. I've been doing newborn research online and every single article and site has said the same thing: it's gonna drain every last bit of energy from us. Speaking of babies, any word with you guys?"

"Not yet," Nightwing sighed. "But we're going to keep trying until it takes. And if it doesn't then we'll just go from there."

A knock on the doorframe alerted them to the presence of another and it turned out to be the now dry Cyborg. "Wow, you packed up all by yourself without asking for help? Guess you really are a big boy now."

"I'd be able to do it faster if you let me borrow that water aerobics music," Beast Boy smirked.

"What aerobics?" Nightwing laughed, very interested.

"Nothing, ignore him," Cyborg grumbled then walked over to the changeling. "I didn't come here to get teased you green ingrate. I wanted to talk about Raven."

"What about her?" Beast Boy asked, his ears quickly perking up.

"Well I did a checkup on her this morning before we did our 'exercises' and she seems to be progressing really fast," said Cyborg.

"Duh, where have you been this whole pregnancy?" Beast Boy snorted.

"No I mean even faster," said Cyborg. "We figured she wouldn't be due for another four weeks but after this morning I think it could be much sooner. Hell, it could be this week."

That certainly knocked the snort out of the changeling's nose. "Th-This week?"

"I told her how far along she was and she said she didn't know if this was normal or not," Cyborg went on. "She knows that demon pregnancies are fast but she isn't sure if they speed up near the end. She didn't wanna say anything to you and I was gonna let that be up to her but when we were in the water I caught her a couple times looking uncomfortable. I think she might be starting to have small contractions which means her body is preparing to deliver in the near future."

His mouth was dry and he suddenly found himself sitting atop the nearest box, which wasn't closed and he fell straight down into it. "No. No that's too soon. Fuck, being due next month is too soon but this… no way, dude, we're not ready yet. We're moving tomorrow for Christ's sake!"

"Are you sure she's having contractions?" asked Nightwing. "Don't jump to conclusions just because Raven looked uncomfortable. She's generally aching and in pain nowadays. Ask her if that's what's happening before declaring she's in the beginning stages of labor."

From down the hall the sudden frantic calling from Starfire began to grow louder and louder. "Hello? Where is everyone? Friends? Dick? Victor? Garfield? Assistance please!"

"What? What is it?" Nightwing quickly jumped into the hall so she could see him.

"It is Raven," she said as she flew over to him, nearly knocking him over she was so upset. "Her water has done the breaking! She is quite alarmed and is in need of our help."

"Her _what_ broke?!" Beast Boy shrieked and sprinted out the door, bowling everyone over, and running as fast as he could to his girlfriend.

"I told you!" Cyborg said, slightly glad at being right. "Can I call it or can I call it?"

"Not the time, Vic," Nightwing scolded and followed after the changeling.

Beast Boy arrived at his girlfriend's room and found her sitting on her bed, looking to be in shock. He leapt over to her and said, "Are you okay? Is it true? Did your water break?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what happened," she said, paler than usual. "But it's… I don't know what to do. It's too soon. It's just… it's too soon."

Seeing her so stunned, confused, and actually scared triggered something instinctive and primal inside of him. Now wasn't the time for him to freak out alongside her. He needed to take charge, take care of her, make her feel that everything would be alright even if it wasn't going to be. He kissed her head, took a knee, and grasped her hands. "Hey, everything's gonna be okay. Vic said it looked like it was ready to be born this week, right?"

"Right," she all but whispered.

"So that means the baby's big and healthy and ready to be here," he said with a reassuring smile. "So even though it's too soon for us it's not too soon for them. And that's what matters, right?"

She swallowed and nodded. Her shock and fear was beginning to subside, due in no small part to his steady positive emotions. She only sensed the slightest bit of anxiety in him but he was overwhelmingly happy. She felt that he would get her through anything, that she could leave her life in his hands and all would be well. It was something she'd never experienced before and it was so knew and wonderful she began to forget about her terror about suddenly being in labor.

The others arrived at her door and were quickly around her as well, asking if she was alright and making plans for what to do next. Cyborg wanted to take her to the infirmary while Nightwing thought they should go to the hospital. Starfire was asking her many questions and Beast Boy was doing his best to take charge and be the loudest voice in the crowd. And as much faith as she had in her boyfriend she began to feel that there were too many personalities involved in something that was very personal and she put her foot down as quickly as she could.

"Everyone be quiet!" she ordered, regaining her voice and her bravery. "I'm the one in labor, I'm the one about to give birth, so I'm the one who's going to decide what's to be done with me." That certainly quieted the mob and they apologized. She stood up and said, "It may be early but that doesn't mean the initial plan needs to change. I still want to have it here in the tower. Whether we can get our doctor here is another story but as long as we get someone who knows what they're doing and won't sell the story to the papers then I'll be happy."

"I'll prep the room," said Cyborg, running off. He was a little miffed that the couple had chosen another doctor to deliver the baby, he'd done everything up to that point, but couldn't argue the fact that Raven would forever feel uncomfortable around him again if he were to see her nether regions.

"I'll call Dr. Norton," said Beast Boy, grabbing the phone he'd traded his communicator in for. "What do I do if she can't come and another woman isn't available?"

"I don't mind a man," said Raven, who found herself suddenly struck with a vicious contraction that made her knees buckle, her throat squeak, and caused all of her books to explode off of their shelves. Everyone rushed her at once but she swatted them away. "I'm okay, it's passed. Just get me to the infirmary."

"Raven, what can I do for you?" asked Starfire, desperate to be involved.

"We don't have any of our supplies," said Raven, waddling towards the door with her married friends on either side of her while Beast Boy stayed behind to focus on his phone call. "It's all getting shipped to the house tomorrow. So go to the store and get-"

"I shall return!" Starfire called, flying straight through the walls in her way with a crash.

"I hope she knows what the get," Raven sighed while Nightwing escorted her.

"Raven, that woman has been thinking about nothing but babies for the last year," Nightwing smiled. "She's read around fifty books, watched over twenty films, and has spent days scouring the internet in order to get all of the information she needs. If there were anyone you could trust to get you what you need it's her."

"Oh no," Raven said with realization. "She's going in for her procedure tomorrow. Dick, make sure she goes. Even if I haven't given birth yet I don't want her to skip it."

"I'll try but you know Kori," he chuckled. "You can't tell her what to do."

They made it to the infirmary and she was quickly prepped for labor and eventual delivery. Her contractions were intense and incredibly painful and were closing in on each other by the minute. Beast Boy managed to get ahold of their chosen doctor who said that though she was busy with another patient she would be available in around two hours. Cyborg only hoped that'd be soon enough. Starfire soon returned with a newborn kit that would last the new parents through the first few days then she and Nightwing made camp outside the infirmary, as Raven wanted as few people in the room as possible.

She winced and hissed as a very strong contraction passed over her. She breathed out and slowly took another breath in while doing her best to focus. She sat upon her hospital style bed with her legs crossed beneath her low and round stomach. Sweat peppered her skin but she looked calm, in control; as though this were no more than an intense session of meditation. The changeling was in awe of her.

"Was that a big one?" he asked.

"They're all big ones at this point," she said, her body relaxing with momentary relief. "But if they get much worse I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle them on my own."

"You're doing awesome," he smiled. "I thought you'd be screaming and condemning me to hell for knocking you up in that car."

"I would be if not for the fact that I've trained myself to be more of mind than of body," she replied, taking a mouthful of crushed ice that had been prepared for her. "I had no idea that all those years of deep meditation were preparing me for this." She felt another coming on and quickly braced herself. The pain was unlike any she'd ever experienced, only being able to slightly compare it to when her body had been torn to bits when her father had come to Earth.

"You're ready," said Cyborg after checking her at the one hour mark. "We can do this at any time but we can't wait too long either. You wanna go ahead or try to wait a little longer for Doctor Norton?"

"I'd like to wait as long as possible," she said, her ability to keep the pain at bay weakening. "But I feel like I can't stop what's happening."

"Hey, you say the word and I'll get this underway," said Cyborg. "I know it'll be kinda awkward but I think it might be best at this point."

"It's not just that it'll be awkward, you've never delivered a baby before," said Raven. "You don't have sense in your hands, your fingers. And… well…"

"You could accidently hurt the baby," said Beast Boy quickly and clearly and feeling rotten about saying it. It wasn't the sort of thing a friend would say to another friend, to someone he considered a brother. But it was a valid concern.

"Oh…" said Cyborg, seeing their point but feeling slightly hurt nonetheless. He thought for a moment then turned to his friends. "Well I guess there's just one thing we can do at this point. Gar, grab a pair of gloves."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Her body had handled it beautifully, as though it were perfectly crafted for giving birth. The newborn had arrived smoothly and without incident, ushered in by her father's own hands. The small, wet, hot body had made its way into his grasp and gently but firmly he had brought her into the world. He'd been terrified of having this honor but had managed brilliantly, following the clear and precise directions given to him by his best friend. Once she was in his hands he cleaned her mouth and rubbed her until she began to chitter and bleat and holler, announcing her presence at last.

"It's a girl!" he'd shouted in stunned amazement. "Oh my God! It's a girl!"

The new mother had smiled and collapsed against the bed, exhausted and in an odd state of bliss. Cyborg had taken over from there and helped her finish the birthing process while he left the new father to cut the cord and wash her up, following instructions on how to do so. Doctor Norton had arrived, at last, and relieved Beast Boy of his invaluable duty. The changeling had just about collapsed at that point from all of the adrenaline and shock.

It had all been a blur for Raven. She remembered the pain and she remembered hearing her daughter's first breaths but that was about it. When she came back around she was being handed a small bundle from a strong pair of green arms. He was smiling from ear to pointy ear and crying like he had the day he'd found out she was pregnant. She managed to sit up and take the babe, still hot, into her arms. It was by far the surrealist moment of her life.

"She's beautiful," he laughed and wiped his eyes. He looked a right mess, but in a good way. "We have a daughter. And she's green!"

"Of course she is," Raven smirked weakly. "I told you you were my baby daddy."

He laughed and cried a bit more and kissed her again and again. "You did amazing."

"So did you, doctor," she chuckled.

"That's probably the first and last time I'll be called that," he smiled and gazed at his baby girl lovingly. "She's even got pointy ears. That's the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's the cutest thing I've ever seen! And I'm not just saying that cuz she's ours, I think she really is the cutest thing on the planet right now. Not even joking."

"You're gushing," she smiled.

"Hell yeah I'm gushing!" he burst. "I mean, come on, how can you look at her and not?"

She chuckled and closed her eyes and held her daughter over her heart. "Four months was still too long to wait. I'm so glad she's here."

"Hey," he nearly whispered, leaning down.

"What?" she asked.

"Happy five month anniversary," he grinned and kissed her.

Starfire had joined in the gushing as soon as she was allowed to enter and she would have made an escape with the child if she were a bit more devious in nature. She now wanted a baby more than ever and Nightwing agreed. Even he had taken a turn holding the newborn and was happy to do it. Doctor Norton had done all she could and left the new mother and child in Cyborg's more than capable hands; hands he quickly fitted with soft gloves and programmed to be extra sensitive so as to avoid being too rough.

Raven fell deep asleep once she was assured that everything was under control and Beast Boy soon followed her, passing out in the bed next to hers. It was only the beginnings of evening, the labor and delivery had been done in record time, but both were drained from all that had happened. Their daughter slept soundly as well, happily swaddled and lying in her little bed next to her mother. She'd cried angrily for a good while before her mother laid a hand on her small body and eased her fear and confusion with her empathic powers.

"Wow. Our friends are parents," said Cyborg. "I know I saw it all happen but, man, I still can't wrap my head around it."

"I know what you mean," Nightwing agreed. "To think that scrawny masked green bean is a father now. It's mind blowing."

"And the dark anti-social mistress of magic is a mother," Cyborg added. "What a strange match they make. But it works. Somehow, someway, it works."

"They are going to be wonderful parents," Starfire sighed happily, still inebriated from the presence of the baby. "I hope we are successful in providing their bumgorf with a playmate soon."

Nightwing wrapped his arm around her, bringing her close. "Don't worry, we will."

"You should have a boy so we can pair them up together," Cyborg smirked. "Man I'm glad this day has finally come. It's been killing me keeping the sex a secret these last few weeks."

"So you knew it was a girl but you did not tell them?" asked Starfire.

"Raven didn't wanna know," said Cyborg. "And Gar never asked about it so I kept my mouth shut. But it was so hard! Thank God she's here."

"I am so happy they have had a girl," said Starfire. "I will purchase so many outfits to dress her in."

"Yeah just make sure you ask permission first," Nightwing warned her. "I have a feeling Raven isn't going to appreciate you dressing her daughter up in bows and frills."

Starfire thought for a moment. "…What if the bows and the frills were blue or black? Then perhaps Raven would allow me to dress up her daughter?"

"As long as you don't say 'dress up' you may be able to talk her into it," said Cyborg. "The second she hears the word 'dress' she'll say no."

"You make the point," said Starfire. "This will take much thinking."

It was hours before Raven awoke and when she did she felt as though she'd been in a fight with Cinderblock; a fight that did not end well for her. She was sore and tender all over but especially in her groin. She hadn't been given any pain medication and she felt it was time for something else to manage her pain for a bit. Luckily Cyborg was nearby and was by her side within a minute of her waking up.

"Did I really have a baby today?" she asked.

"Well that's not one of Kori's practice dolls sleeping next to you," Cyborg smiled. "How're you doing?"

"I'm in a good deal of pain, to be honest," she admitted. "Can you help me?"

"One morphine drip coming up," he said and got to work.

She looked at her daughter and smiled. She was sleeping peacefully, her little pursed lips gently sucking instinctively. She was a pale green but Raven theorized she'd darken a bit more in the days ahead. Her hair, though scarce and thin, seemed green as well. This child would take after her father, there was no doubt about it. She was definitely a Logan. Speaking of, she looked around for her boyfriend, the father of this child. She spotted him snoring in the nearby bed, looking more wiped out than herself.

"You didn't shoot him full of morphine, did you?" she asked.

"No," Cyborg laughed. "He's crashing after an adrenaline high. He did deliver his daughter without any preparation today, after all. And he did a damn fine job of it, too."

"I'll say," she smiled. "He's certainly starting this whole parenting thing off on the right foot."

A snort of wakefulness caught their attention and they turned to see the changeling stretching and tiredly sitting up, hair mussed and eyes half-lidded and confused. It took a few moments but he soon remembered where he was and what had happened. His eyes caught hers and he smiled, hopping out of the bed.

"Hey mommy," he said, shaking the sleep from his left hand. "How're you doing?"

"Fine now thanks to a bit of morphine," she smiled back. "You?"

"I couldn't be better," he grinned the walked over to the baby. He leaned over her and touched her soft cheek. "Well she's here. Now what?"

That managed to get a laugh out of her. "Oh lots of stuff. I'm sorry she's a month early. If I'd known fetal development speeds up at the end I would've said something."

"Of course you would have," he said. "You wanted to get us moved into the new place just as much as I did."

"Speaking of, are you still going to move our things tomorrow?" she asked.

"Oh jeez, I don't know," he scratched his neck. "Is now really the time?"

"I just think we should get ourselves over there before we settle in here," she explained. "We'll start getting into habits and routines and it'll be frustrating to change things. I know it'll be hard since I can't help but we don't need everything done at once. As long as everything we need for myself and the baby is there we'll be fine. The rest can wait."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," he nodded.

"Hey, don't act like there's no one else around to help you," said Cyborg. "Dick and me will lend a hand for sure. I'll help move everything over there and Dick can go make sure your utilities are taken care of. If we work around the clock we can probably get everything over there and set it all up in a day. Think you can stand to stick around the tower for another twenty-four hours?"

"I doubt Dick will want to help much," she said. "Kori's getting implanted tomorrow."

"Oh they've been through it enough that it's not a big deal anymore," Cyborg brushed her off. "That'll only take a little while and then she's gonna sit in my car for the rest of the day. You think he's gonna sit in there with her? I know he'd rather get his mind off of it by doing something constructive."

"I hope it works this time," said Beast Boy. "I hate seeing their hearts break every time she takes one of those damn tests and it's negative."

"And every time they see our little girl," she said, reaching over to her child and holding her little hand. "They were so happy when they held her but I could feel their pain as well."

"Don't go worrying about them," said Cyborg. "This is your daughter's birthday! Today's all about you guys, not them. And, speaking of, are you guys ready to fill out a birth certificate? The sooner I can get this into the system the better."

"Holy shit, we've gotta name her!" Beast Boy exclaimed in shock then covered his mouth, embarrassed he'd forgotten such a key factor in having a child.

"You guys didn't talk about names?" asked Cyborg.

"We didn't need to because I already had her name picked out," Raven said calmly.

"What? How come you didn't run it by me?" asked Beast Boy.

"We can discuss it now," she said. "Victor, do you mind?"

"Gotcha," said Cyborg with a wink and he headed out to leave them alone.

"You know, naming your kid's a big deal," said Beast Boy, slightly upset. "Why didn't you let me help picking the name?"

"Nothing's final yet," she said. "Even if I was the only one who actually remembered that we had to pick a name and spent a good amount of time choosing one."

"Alright, let's hear it then," he said.

"Are you going to have an open mind?"

"Yes."

"Or are you going to not like it because you're upset we didn't talk about it before hand?"

"No, I'll be good. So tell me what you wanna name our daughter."

"Fine, if you must know, I've chosen: Jane."

"…Jane?"

"Yes, Jane."

"Isn't that a little… plain? You know, Plain Jane?"

"I want to name her Jane after Jane Goodall. I think she is a woman we both highly respect for her strength, intelligence, and achievements. And Jane's not a plain name, it's a good foundation name. With this name she'll have to develop a strong personality in order to stand out. Her name won't define her, she'll define her name. If we were to give her some flashy, outlandish name it would be as if we didn't have faith that she'd be able to stand out on her own."

He had to admit, it was a good name. How could he not like her decision? "Alright. Jane it is. What's her middle name."

"I don't know. That's up to you."

"Up to me?"

"Yes. I decided on 'Jane' and I decided that her middle name would be your choice. Because naming her is something I knew would be incredibly important to you."

He now felt rotten for getting upset with her. "Oh… well… I don't know what her middle name should be!"

"Well give it some thought," she smiled. "Give her a name that has meaning to you or one that you're fond of. We'll really only be using it when she gets in trouble, after all."

That made him chuckle. "That's true. Oh jeez, I don't know. Um… God, there's so many women I could name her after. My mom, your mom, Rita, Kori, how can I choose? Can't I pick them all? Maybe she can be like one of those girls with five names or something."

"No. Only one."

He sighed and groaned and raked his brain for a name. It had to have meaning, it couldn't just be something that sounded nice. He didn't want his daughter to grow up and ask about how she came to be named and admit he hadn't given it any thought while her mother had taken great care and consideration. But just when he was sure he'd have to turn to the internet to look up a name one came to him. "I know! I'm gonna name her after Vic!"

"You're not naming her Vic!" she protested.

"No no, Victoria," he laughed. "The girl version of Vic. He's my best friend, has saved my ass more times than I can count, and his car is the reason she's here today. How can I _not_ name her after him?"

Raven thought for a moment. "Jane Victoria Logan. I must admit, it does have a nice ring to it."

"So you like it?"

"I think it's just about perfect. Bring your daughter's namesake back in and we'll fill out the papers."

Of course Cyborg was thrilled with their choice and felt just a little less angry about their defiling his beloved vehicle four months before. Once the birth certificate was filled out Raven fell back asleep while Beast Boy decided to get something to eat and see if he could finish up the packing. He felt refreshed and in the mood to accomplish something, though it was more about needing a reason to strut around the tower showing off the pride he felt at being a father. Not that there was anyone around to strut for; it was a little passed one in the morning.

After eating a quick microwave burrito he headed to his room to get the last of his things boxed up. He wanted to get all of the boxes moved down to the garage so they would be ready for loading on the rented truck the next morning. He was surprised to find all of the boxes and the rest of his possessions absent from the room. He did a double take and wondered, just for the slightest of seconds, if he'd entered the wrong room. Luckily he found a note stuck on his door that he'd overlooked.

_Gar,_

_Thought we'd get everything ready for your big move tomorrow so that you don't have to worry about it. Congrats on the baby and make sure you look after Raven. We'll take care of the rest._

_~ Dick & Kori_

He felt touched and relieved that he didn't need to pack anymore. He knew that when they finally got pregnant and had a baby he'd have to return the favor. Hell, he'd rent out Raven's womb to them if necessary! They deserved to have a child more than anyone else he knew. He decided to check Raven's room as well and found the same had occurred. He also found two notes on her door. One read:

_P.S._

_Of course we did Raven's room too you numbskull!_

_~ Dick_

The second:

_Garfield,_

_I have taken the liberty of adding a few items to your shipment of bumgorf supplies that will be arriving at your new home tomorrow. It is also part of my gift to you! I hope you will like them. Please convince Raven to let the baby wear the outfits I have chosen!_

_Much Love Forever,_

_Kori_

He could only imagine what she had added to their order. He cringed at the thought of trying to talk Raven into putting their daughter into a puffy pink princess dress. He'd rather have the womb renting discussion instead.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

It was a strange set up, the house. They didn't exactly have similar tastes, after all. But it was comfortable. The living room had a large television set up with a beautiful game system as well as a meditation corner with a banzai tree and boxes of incense ready to be burned. The other three Titans weren't sure how they were going to cohabitate in such close quarters but figured if they'd survived living as roommates this long then they could somehow make it work. Still, it was a big step to go from separate rooms in a large tower to a single room in a cozy house. And with a newborn, no less. But they seemed to be surviving and even thriving in their new arrangement.

"Yes, you are quite correct," said Starfire, gazing at the infant in one of the pink outfits she'd bought for her. "Pink is not a suitable color for her. Please, what color do you believe goes best with the green skin?"

"Anything other than pink," said Raven, sipping some tea from the couch. "Now stop stalling and take the test."

"Must I?" Starfire pouted. "If it is negative again I shall surely be unable to function."

"And if you don't take it I'm sending you home," said Raven. "You're here to take that pregnancy test in the hopes that your luck will be better in a different bathroom instead of the one you've been using all these months. Now you've been here for two hours playing with Jane and have yet to even look at that pregnancy kit you left on my table. So go take it or I'm sending you back to the tower. And if it is negative you can stay here until you feel better, provided you're reasonable about it."

Starfire sighed and stood. "Very well. I shall take the test. And you promise to comfort me when it is revealed to be negative?"

"_If_ it's negative. And yes," said Raven. She wished Nightwing were there but he decided it was best if he weren't around. This time they really were relying on changing everything when it came to taking the test, hoping it would somehow change the results. Normally she took it in the tower's bathroom with her husband by her side in the early morning. This time she was taking it in a friend's bathroom in the afternoon with Nightwing out in the city with the rest of the men.

The baby began to fuss and Raven quickly picked her up out of her little seat and proceeded to feed her. She was very tired, as well she should be, but also content. They hadn't had to put up with many sleepless nights due to her ability to calm the babe with her powers. Of course she never used them right away but only after making sure the infant had no reason to bawl except that she was confused, frustrated, or scared. And being that she was a newborn in a strange and foreign world there was no end to being confused, frustrated, and scared. But with her mother constantly easing her worries and exasperations she was usually pleasant.

A great scream filled the small house, rattling the very foundation. Raven jumped and all of this caused the baby to wail unhappily. The empath was quickly on her feet, clutching the infant to her chest protectively, and ran to the bathroom.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, banging on the door. It flew open and Starfire came shooting out, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her close. All Raven could think of was her poor daughter being crushed in between them. "Kori the baby!" A tendril of her powers shot out of her, almost instinctively, and pushed the alien into the adjacent wall. She quickly looked her crying child over to make sure she was alright then glared at her friend. "What the hell is wrong with you? What's going on?"

"I am pregnant!" Starfire exclaimed. "The stick is positive! I am pregnant!"

Raven still felt angry but as the news sunk in she felt herself grow happy. Not to mention relieved. She gave her a quick hug but made sure to move away before she could be trapped in her arms again. "Well thank Azar for that. Call Dick up and tell him the good news and have Victor do a blood test to make sure it's not a false positive. And while you do that I'm going to calm my traumatized daughter."

"Yes!" Starfire nodded, hardly noticing the upset newborn.

Calls were soon made and the next steps were taken. Starfire flew straight to where the men where, picked up both Nightwing and Cyborg, and flew them back to the tower herself. Beast Boy made his way home to wait for the official word and make sure his house was still in one piece. He had a pretty good idea of what Starfire's reaction might have been when she spotted the positive test. And he laughed when he discovered he was correct.

"Aw, my poor baby," he cooed as he changed his daughter's diaper. "Did Auntie Kori scare the bejesus out of you?"

"She didn't just scare her, she almost crushed her," said Raven, still upset about it and resting in bed. "I swear, she had better be pregnant. If not the fallout might bring about a depression so vast it'll turn the tower into a black hole."

"Well I'm with you there," he agreed. "It'd be just wrong to get their hopes up this high at this point."

"So what did you and the guys do while you were out?" she asked.

"Oh that's right! I've been so distracted by the pregnancy news I didn't get to show you," he smiled.

"Show me what?" she asked carefully, eyeing him.

He placed Jane in her bassinet then walked over to her. He gingerly lifted his shirt up and off his head, not without wincing. On his left side there was beautiful calligraphy reading his daughter's name as well as her footprint from the day she was born and Raven's own signature, which was written much larger than the signatures of her friends on his opposite side. And all was covered in cellophane and ointment. "Ta da!"

"Oh… wow," was all she could say. The skin was enflamed from the tattooing process and looked sore. "You certainly got that done fast."

"I got a really great artist," he said. "Don't you like them?"

"Well they fit in with the rest of the ink, I suppose," she said, unable to not chuckle. "That hamburger still sticks out like a sore thumb, though."

He frowned, blushed a little, and grabbed his shirt. "You had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"Oh I'll always bring that up when given the chance," she smirked. "Did Dick or Victor get anything done?"

"No, too scared," he smiled. "Though it was just Dick who couldn't man up. The fact that it's permanent freaked him out and he just couldn't commit. I'm honestly still surprised the guy managed to get married!" They both laughed at this.

"And Victor?"

"He didn't see the point since he doesn't have much skin left anyway. So the two of them just sat and watched and we talked. I seriously think my man points went up with both of them."

"What did you talk about?"

"Stuff. Like what I wanna do in the future and all that. They were surprisingly supportive of my ideas."

"What ideas?" They hadn't spoken about their future apart from where their daughter was concerned. She was curious to hear any notions he had about the road ahead. She certainly didn't have any ideas. She was finding focusing on the present was more than enough.

"Oh just, you know, stuff I've been thinking about." He'd forgotten that she didn't know his plans. He'd gone over them in his mind so often, sometimes having conversations with her in his head that he'd forget weren't real, that he figured she was well informed. Now his big mouth had introduced the subject and he would now have to actually get it all out there. He just hoped she would listen to him and the laughing would be kept to a minimum. "Like… that I still wanna do the TV show."

She would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised to hear this. "The nature show? The one where you travel the world and talk about animals?"

"Yeah, that one," he shifted uncomfortable, feeling that she was already against the old idea that still appealed to him. "But I've got it all figured out so just listen, okay? I want you to keep an open mind."

She sighed but did her best to shake the negativities this news came with from her mind. She didn't think he'd still want to pursue that particular dream now that they had a baby. This wasn't exactly the best time to want to be a television star. And the idea of him globe trekking and leaving her at home all alone with Jane was a bit of an insult. But then she remembered that he'd said Nightwing and Cyborg were supportive of this. And if they, of all people, were able to get behind it then perhaps he had put some decent thought into it. "Alright, my mind is clear and open. I'm ready to hear what you have to say and I promise I will consider it seriously, because it's important to you."

He smiled and felt a bit of relief. "Okay, so here's the plan. You know that I wanna travel the world and host a show where I talk about animals. But I don't wanna do it with a dozen people involved, I just want it to be us, the three of us. We can film it and edit it and put it together ourselves and then send it to whatever studio is the highest bidder. Now I know what you're thinking, we can't do that cuz we don't know how filming and all that works, right? Well that's why for the next three years we're gonna stay here and go to school! I already said I wanted to get a real education about animals but now I'll also learn about cameras and filming and stuff. And I was thinking you could learn about film editing and stuff. That way we can do it all on our own and be our own bosses. We won't have a strict schedule, we'll work as hard as we want and when we're tired we can stop. We'll both get exactly what we want. I'll get to travel and help people and feel like I'm still making a difference and you'll get to be away from dense populations that always annoy you and be out in the wilderness, perfect for meditation. And Jane will get to grow up surrounded by nature, like I did. But, you know, without the constant life threatening danger. We'll teach her everything _we_ think is important. I'll teach her about animals and the world and you can teach her about history and literature and anything else you know. Just think about it, you, me, and Jane will travel the world finding animals and helping people look at them like they never have before. It'll be perfect."

This was a lot of information to receive all at once and her head felt dizzy. She took in a breath. "Well… that's certainly well thought out. You paint a very pretty picture."

His head hung down and he sighed. "You don't like it."

"No, I love it," she said matter-of-factly. "It's a great idea but… I just don't know how we'd pull it off. It would be a lot of work."

"I know, I know," he said quickly. "Trust me, this isn't something I just thought of this morning. I've told you about this in the past and ever since I found out you were pregnant I've been rethinking everything and getting a plan together. And the guys both like it, too. Vic's all excited about designing some awesome vehicle that'll go from being a jet to a bus to a boat, that way we can travel on all mediums. And Dick likes the idea of having an extra set of eyes watching over the world and letting him know if anything's amiss. They're both behind us and are gonna do whatever they can to help."

She took this in and gave it a bit of thought. This would be quite the undertaking and she wondered if they could pull it off. But she liked everything about it, especially having Jane away from the hustle and bustle of the city. She didn't want her daughter to become accustomed to being spoiled with technology and losing sight of what was important in life. She hadn't been brought up that way and she desperately wanted the same for her daughter. But… such a long term plan meant he believed they'd stay together. And, realistically, that may not happen.

"I'm glad we'd be supported and I really do like everything about this idea, but it could change our relationship," she said at last. "We don't even know how we're going to be in three months after living alone together. And if we can't handle this then how could we ever survive traveling the world or working together on something we've never done before? We could end up falling out of love with each other. And what would we do then?"

He blinked then began to smirk. "Falling _out_ of love each other? Does that mean that as or right now, this very second, you're _in_ love with me?"

She hadn't realized she'd be making such an admission and she blushed. "Well, uh, I suppose you could say that. I mean, love has many degrees after all so I suppose I do… you know… love you. In a way."

He smiled and teased, "You love me."

She rolled her eyes and blushed deeper. "Oh be quiet."

"Me and Raven sitting in a tree," he sang and leaned over to repeatedly peck her lips. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"I don't think the next part of that rhyme works for us," she informed him.

"First comes a baby, then comes love, then comes… marriage?" he asked.

She smiled but shook her head. "No. I'm not a big fan of marriage. Or at least what marriage represents these days. Commitment shouldn't need a ring and a party to be real."

He smirked. "Yeah, I didn't think it was something you were into. But, getting back to what you said before, I think whatever happens we'll be able to work it out. And it's not like we're leaving to go travelling tomorrow or anything! We've got the next three years to see if this relationship will work out, which I totally think it will. We'll get to see what it's like to live together and raise Jane together and go to school together and get this big project rolling together. And if we can make it through all that I think we've got nothing to worry about."

"So… you really think we're going to be together for a long time?" she asked.

"For a long time? Rave, this is it!" he exclaimed. "I want us to be together from here on out. What, you think the most amazing girls in the world walks into my life every day? Like I've got an endless supply of gorgeous, smart, kickass women ready to be with me? I could never do better than you. You're the gold medal, the top of the charts, the number one blockbuster, the-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" she stopped him. "You have no intention of breaking it off with me. And, as of right now, I have no intention of breaking it off with you, either."

"Aw, be still my beating heart," he snickered. "But I'm glad you feel the same way. You hear that, Jane? Your mommy and daddy actually like each other!"

"Shh! You're going to wake her," she scolded but he quieted her with a deep kiss. She tried to push her away but it had been a long time since he'd kissed her like this and she soon melted. They were often so tired or busy they didn't have time to be intimate. So the effort was very much appreciated and she reciprocated accordingly. The gentle but growing cry of the infant forced them apart within seconds. "I told you." She made her way to the bassinet and gently picked her daughter up while he collapsed against the bed and ran his fingers through his hair with slight frustration.

"Damn my big mouth," he grumbled. His phone began to go off and he couldn't help but laugh. "Jeez, guess it wasn't meant to be." He answered his phone while she sat back down on the bed and began to feed the little girl. "Hello? … Really? … That's great! … Yeah, no kidding… Okay… Yeah, I'll let her know… Tell them we said congrats… What? … For us? … Uh, okay but why? … Ahh, I see… Okay, later dude." He tucked his phone away and turned to her. "Well Kori's officially pregnant. Vic confirmed it."

"Kori's pregnant and we're out of the tower and won't have to deal with her? This may be the best day ever," she chuckled. "That is going to be the most loved baby ever born."

"Nah, a close second, though," he smiled and kissed his daughter's head. "This is the most loved baby ever born."

"Well to us she is," she smiled back.

He suddenly jumped and said, "Oh! We gotta go to the living room. Vic said he's sending us something to watch on the TV."

"What?"

"I don't know, he just said it'll convince you to go along with my TV show idea. I think he really wants to build our ultimate traveling vehicle."

They made their way to the living room and turned the television on. Within seconds it seemed to be overridden, obviously by Cyborg at the tower. A screen opened and a video appeared. It was of the two of them, sitting on the grass in the park. The appeared to be talking to one another and, after a moment, the audio came through.

"…it would be mutilated. So I'll just stick with my book. Go give that kite to a kid who needs one."

"Oh alright. By the way, thank for getting my kite in the air earlier."

"How'd you know?"

"Rave, I can always feel your magic."

Raven's cheeks flushed and her knees slid and dropped flat on the grass, startling the both of them. Then their eyes locked. And stayed locked.

"Oh. My. God," came Cyborg's voice and the video cut out.

The couple wasn't sure what to think of what they'd just seen. But they didn't need to think for long. Cyborg's face appeared on the screen and he was smiling a wide smile. "Just thought you guys would want to keep the video I got of the moment you two fell in love." His face then turned into one of pleading and he begged, "Now can I please build the Super Jet-Van-Boat? Please?"

Raven was blushing after seeing the actual moment Beast Boy had made her knees buckle but managed to retain some dignity. She turned to the father of her child, who was smiling hopefully, then sighed and looked back to the screen. "Alright, go ahead and build it. Just don't do anything stupid."


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

The dying light of dusk illuminated her jade hair, straight and thick with layers of marigold and wheat from the constant exposure to strong sunshine. Her skin, the color of a ripe pear with brown freckles and all, was tinged with dirt. Scrapes, fading bruises, and the odd bandage decorated her thin but strong limbs. Her overalls were well worn and her sneakers, only two months old, were already ragged from daily use. She lay on her stomach upon the flat land that stretched for as far as the eye could see. She watched as a group of kangaroos grazed about, taking no notice of her. A wicked thought came to her mind and she sat up with a smirk. She took in a deep breath, jumped up, and let out a roar akin to that of a tiger's. The animals took instant fright and hopped away as quickly as their legs could manage. She laughed hard and deep until she heard the call of her mother.

"Jane!"

Her laughing quickly stopped short and she called back, "Coming!" She ran back towards her family's camp, kicking up dust and dirt in her wake. She saw the TAT-V (Titans All Terrain Vehicle) and her mother standing in front of it. She reached the woman, quite out of breath, and said, "Time to eat?"

"Was that a roar I just heard?" asked Raven, eyeing the girl.

"Uh… well… it wasn't really a roar," Jane rocked back and forth on her heels. "It was like a bark… a tiger bark. I just wanted to see what the kangaroos would do."

"You know very well what they would do," said Raven. "Now go wash up. I can't even tell you're green you're so covered in dirt. Were you rolling around on the ground?"

"Yes!" little girl giggled and hurried inside the TAT-V. It was a marvelous achievement in vehicular engineering. It was almost like a house on wheels that also flew and floated. It wasn't cramped but there was no space wasted. To Jane it was home. She had no memory of the house her parents had rented when she was first born. Her first memory, to be precise, was of Cyborg carrying her on his shoulders when the vehicle was first revealed.

After a quick shower, that had all but turned the little bathroom into a mudroom, she changed into her pajamas and meditated in her room, a small specially designed compartment that was just right for her. Meditation was something her mother had taught her the same time she was learning to walk. It was now second nature to her, as was connecting with animals and mimicking them. If she wasn't calling to them in their native tongues she was frolicking with them in their own form. At the age of five, she was a very accomplished.

"Dinner," her father called.

Her stomach growled and broke her out of her trance. She hoped it wasn't a tofu heavy meal. She knew her father didn't eat meat and she knew why he didn't eat meat but she had a taste for meat and couldn't abstain from it. She got that from her mother, her father had said. She went to the cozy kitchen and sat at the table where a large bowl of salad sat and other sides of vegetables. To her delight there was also chicken.

"Yes!" she cheered and carefully served herself some salad first, getting lettuce and tomatoes all over the table.

"Eat up, we're leaving early tomorrow so you need to get to bed," said Raven.

"Are you excited about going back to Jump City?" asked Beast Boy.

"I guess," Jane shrugged, trying to fit a large piece of lettuce into her mouth.

"You'll get to see Evelyn," said Raven.

"She isn't any fun," Jane whined. "She doesn't like to get dirty and she makes me put on weird stuff."

"What weird stuff?" Beast Boy chuckled.

"Those dresses that are itchy," Jane wrinkled her nose. "I don't like 'em."

"Well friends need to compromise," said Raven. "You never get to see each other so you'll have to find a way to have fun. Your Auntie Kori is going to do the same thing to me."

"Yeah but you also have Auntie Sarah," Jane pointed out. "And she's fun. All I've got is Evelyn. Why can't Auntie Kori have another baby? Like a boy! I bet a boy would run around and get dirty."

"Oh I'm pretty sure she's working on it," Beast Boy laughed knowingly.

"I just wanna see Uncle Vic," said Jane, wiping dressing from the corner of her mouth. "He's gonna be there, right?"

"He said he and Auntie Sarah will be there the day after tomorrow," said Raven.

"Yes! He always gives the best gifts," Jane smiled.

"That's cuz you're his favorite," said Beast Boy with a wink.

"Don't say that," said Raven, giving him a slight tap on the arm.

"I wish they could come see us instead of us going there," Jane sighed. "I hate going to the city. It smells. And there's no trees or animals or anything fun."

"Well it's just easier for us to go to them," said Raven. "Maybe someday we'll be able to bring everyone on a trip with us. Your dad wants to film a special and he might invite them to be in it with him."

"Ooh! Can I be in it!" Jane's eyes lit up and she practically stood up on her seat.

"We'll see," Beast Boy smiled. "But it won't be for a while. Maybe next season."

"Aw," Jane sighed and sat down properly. "How come it takes so long for TV shows to be on TV?"

"It just does," Raven said simply, not wanting to explain all of the information she'd learned over the years.

After dinner, Jane was put to bed while her parents cleaned up and prepared for their long journey the next day. It had been months since they'd seen their friends and were looking forward to staying in an actual building instead of the TAT-V. Beast Boy's show 'Beasts, Bugs, and Beyond' was a highly praised show and very popular, even now in its second season. It wasn't easy but he and Raven didn't mind working hard. Their current lifestyle was well worth it. Not once in the last five years had they considered parting ways, which had always been one of Raven's greatest worries. They argued and fought, as any couple would, but it wasn't constant and they always resolved the issue. They were absolutely committed to each other. He'd even talked her into wearing a ring. She had agreed on the grounds that they exchange them privately without any sort of fanfare.

"I'm so glad Jane doesn't like the city," said Raven, checking the vehicle to make sure it would be ready to fly the next morning. "But it's too bad she and Evelyn don't get along."

"I don't blame her, though," said Beast Boy, helping her. "Evelyn's spoiled and bossy."

"Of course she is," said Raven. "She's an only child that was desperately wanted. She's not used to compromising with anyone, especially not our stubborn little peapod. Jane's just as bossy and doesn't have the ability to hide it when she's annoyed. It's no wonder those two butt heads."

"Just wait until Kori has the baby," he laughed. "That poor girl's world is going to crash around her."

"Alright, the TAT-V looks good," she said. "Do you still want to stop over in Hawaii?"

"Hell yeah! It's the most beautiful place in the world to stop for lunch!"

"I just don't want us to be crowded by fans. Jane doesn't know what it's like."

"She'll be fine. Knowing her, she'll stalk them and scare them with one of her best roars. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to get the better of her."

Raven smiled and brought him close to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "We're doing a good job, aren't we? Being parents and all that?"

"We're doing an amazing job," he said, kissing her. "She's never gonna be a damsel in distress, that's for sure."

"Do you ever think about what life would be like if we hadn't done this? If we had stayed in that house and raised her in the city?"

"Sometimes. I think about what it would be like sending her off to kindergarten or taking her to the park to play on the playground. But I know she'd never be happy living like that. And neither would we."

"Do you think we'd still be together?"

"Rave, we'd still be together if we were living in a subway tunnel!"

"If we were living in a subway tunnel I'd be reexamining my life."

He laughed and kissed her, "I probably would be, too. But the point is that we'd still be together." He grabbed her hand and led her towards the back of the vehicle, where their bedroom resided. "Now come on, let's see if I can get those knees of yours to buckle."

"Again? Haven't you done it enough?"

"I'll never get sick of seeing your knees buckle."

"And I'll never get sick of seeing that hamburger tramp stamp."

"Don't bring that up!"

The End

**AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. This is the first baby fanfic I've written in years, I hope it was alright. This story took me a while to write so thank you all for being so patient with me. I hope it was worth the wait. If not… well I'll try to do better next time. Please come follow me on tumblr! beautifulpurpleflame . tumblr . com**


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